Wicked Game
by ThatGirl54
Summary: "What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way. What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you. What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way. What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you." Dean Ambrose/OC
1. An Honest Opinion

"Ava!"

A blonde head of hair whipped round to the direction of the voice. Before her eyes could focus on the figure, she was knocked to the canvas with a thud from a dropkick. Groaning, she rolled to her side, scowling up at the Brit who wore a proud grin as she mock-bowed. "Really, Paige?"

"Not my fault you got distracted, love."

"Ava!" The voice was heard again and the two women in the ring turned to find Bill DeMott, waiting impatiently. "Office!"

"Someone's in troubleeee!" Paige said in a sing-song voice as she leant back on the ropes with a big grin.

With a huff, Ava rose to her feet and swatted the woman in the stomach before sliding out the ring. Wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, the woman passed Bill on her way into the small office. Before her sat Joy Evans, Head of Talent Relations and ruiner of Ava Wilson's life. Her name was a piece of irony; there wasn't a single shred of joy in the woman. The door shut behind her, enclosing her into the confined space with the woman who wasn't showing any signs of joy.

"Ava, nice to see you again."

The blonde took a seat in front of the desk, ignoring the bored tone of the woman. "You too, Joy."

"Now, myself and Mark Carrano are here today to speak to all the men and women about their place in the company." Joy looked down at her notes on the sheet of paper.

_Why couldn't I have met with Mark instead?_ Ava frowned and squirmed in her seat.

"You have been with the company…"

"Two years now."

"Ah yes, signed with FCW at the start of 2011, was it?"

She squirmed in her seat again. "Yep."

Joy looked up to the woman sat before her, taking in her short stature and her shoulders slumping. Dark eyes narrowed in on Ava's features. Her green eyes and creamy skin that looked to have recently caught the sun, dark blonde locks slung into a messy ponytail and a light sheen of sweat covering her body from being in the ring that afternoon. Joy raised an eyebrow at her before asking, "How is training going for you?"

"Uhh… it's good? Matches on NXT are always great with the girls. Myself and Paige are just getting into an amazing feud together."

Joy nodded and forced a quick smile. "Right. I'm also here to discuss your image."

"My image?"

"Yes. I understand Regal and DeMott are usually heavily involved with this aspect, but as you've been with developmental a while, Corporate felt it was appropriate for me to step in, to see if there was anything that could be done to improve your image to make you appeal to TV more." Ava's mind was whirring, slowly repeating some of the words Jane had just said… _improve your image… appeal to TV more… Am I not appealing enough already? _"So after some thinking, we've come up with some ideas for you. Some things for you to think about, discuss with the trainers and consider so you can stand out a bit more. A new hair colour? New ring gear? A breast enlargement? New music? Maybe lose a bit of weight? Possibly a character change?" Joy listed off the items one by one, as if they meant nothing, while Ava tried not to feel insulted. "More promo work is being considered for you too. Bill, will also pop in soon to discuss a heel turn for you at NXT. How do some of those sound to you?"

Shock washed over her features like a cold, hard slap in the face. Which is probably what it was meant to be. Ever since Ava had been signed, Joy Evans hadn't liked her at all. The twenty-seven year old independent wrestler wasn't exactly what the other Divas looked like: dirty blonde hair, short, wider hips but still slim, no big fake breasts, no model cheekbones. She was a woman who knew how to get down and dirty in the ring with the guys and the girls, a wrestler - not a model. And here she was, Satan herself, wanting to make her into the complete opposite: a model. Her mind reeled at her insulting her promo work; she could talk as well as some of the guys here, if not better. Ava had worked hard in the independents to succeed and become one of the most popular female wrestlers, all for her to sit before this she-devil and be told she wasn't good enough for the main roster. It was hard not to feel angry.

"Think about it and I'll be back in a couple of weeks to check back in. Bill will work on you with promos and the such." She waved her hand in disregard, as if she didn't really need to bother with wrestling. Ava scoffed and crossed her arms under her chest, as Joy slipped her a sheet with the suggestions listed."Consider them, please, and then _maybe_ you'll have a shot—" Taking the sheet without looking at it, she folded it up and put in her pocket - it would going into the trash at the first opportunity.

"Sorry, got caught up with the guys." Ava heard Bill's voice and smiled to herself. The older man had been tough on her since the day she walked through the door, but she knew he secretly liked her. She knew he would stand up for her. "Right, down to business." He took a seat beside her, crossing his ankle over his knee, looking over at the blonde. He shared a quick glance with Joy, one that made Ava feel uneasy. "After a few debates and talks with Hunter, Billy Gunn, and Regal... We've come to our decision about the NXT Women's Championship. It'll come down to you versus Paige, in the final stage of the brackets." Ava smiled brightly over at him, relaxing in the chair. Her and Paige had been hoping they would be the final women in the tournament, they had worked hard on improving their matches over the past few weeks, knowing management were watching the women closely. "But the final decision is to put the belt on Paige. I'm sorry, Ava."

Her mouth slowly parted, the words sinking in. She wasn't getting the belt.

"Oh. Okay." She lowered her head, nodding.

Bill rested his hand upon hers and gave it a squeeze, giving her a sincere and warm smile. "But I've got some great plans for you after Paige wins the title. We're going to turn you heel, go after Paige in various attacks, ultimately turning her face. We'll shoot some awesome promos that I know you'll knock out the park. We'll make a great feud out of it. I promise."

"Yeah." Ava appreciated that Bill was really trying to make the best out of this bad situation for her, but it didn't dull the pain she felt that management had chosen her friend over her for the championship she had been working so hard to get. Numbly, she left the office after being asked to send Paige in after her. Calling the younger woman over, she jogged into the office with a quick smile.

All the hard work she had put in to impress management, all the time she had put in at developmental and out of hours training sessions, late night work outs pushing her body to the limit… She felt the energy drain from her body as she considered if it was all worth it, for her to just get knocked back and out of the title picture for the younger woman. Ava knew deep down this meant she wouldn't get the NXT Women's Championship. Hunter was high on Paige and her momentum. Ava should know; she trained with Paige so much when the woman arrived one year after she had. She helped polish off the woman, helped her with promos and her ring presence. But what was it all for? For her to get the title instead of Ava.

Voices melted away behind her as she dropped to the padded floor and began her half hearted stretches. Her mind swirling with conflicting thoughts… Remembering her early days of training with Shimmer and Ring of Honor, how all the struggles in her life had led her to the WWE, a place where she finally felt she belonged. A home. But now that home was trying to change her, modify her body, and alter her personality in her promos. The blonde felt frustrated, to say the least.

A hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts, her head snapping up to find long time friend and confidant, Claudio. The man had since moved up to the roster, bypassing NXT completely and now wrestled as Cesaro. A pinch of jealousy would always nip at her when she thought of how fast some of the people here moved through developmental. The road wasn't so smooth for Ava. "What's up, hübsches Mädchen?"

A scoff left her lips as he dropped to a squat beside her. "Not so pretty today, Claud. I haven't earned that name it seems." The man made a face at her. "Bitchmaster general says I need to change my image in order to have a shot at the main roster. Says I don't stand out." Ava made a gruff sound in the back of her throat. "And get this… they're putting the title on Paige!" She hissed quietly, her body turning green with envy. "It's not fair, Claud, I helped her! I've been here longer, I've tried so hard to impress them! All for nothing. All for them to make her the first NXT women's champion and dress me up as a damn model." Ava gritted her teeth and felt her shoulders slump.

After a few deep breaths, she turned to look at Claudio; he gave her a sad smile. "You feel better after that?"

"Kinda." The blonde shrugged. "I sound like a jealous, raging bitch."

"Yeah, you do."

"Hey!" She slugged him in the arm, causing the wrestler to drop down to a sitting. "I'm happy for Paige, honestly, I am, she's a great friend… but I'm frustrated. Everyone's going somewhere or moving up… and I'm just stuck."

"You might move up soon, who knows what the future holds for you."

"It may hold a boob job and platinum hair if Joy gets her way."

Silence took over between them, when she looked over at Claudio, his brow was fuddled. "Erm…" He risked glances down at her sports bra clad breasts.

"Don't look at them!"

"You said it!"

"Only because she wants me to get one! Stop! Stop looking!"

"I can't help it, I'm a man!"

"But it's gross, you're like my brother!" Claudio raised his hands in defence. The pair sat in silence before Ava slowly looked up at her friend. "Did… do you _think_ I need a boob job?" Her voice was quiet and inquiring.

"You said you didn't want me to look."

"I don't but I value your honest opinion."

Claudio laughed and shook his head. "I think there's a reason why I call you hübsch, because you're pretty just the way you are. Always have been, you don't need to change yourself… you've also always been a bit short."

"I'm never asking your opinion again."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze. "You'll make it to the roster one day, I know it. They would be stupid to let you go."

"Hey, Claudio!" The gruff voice broke the pair apart and they both looked up to the owner of the voice. Blue eyes narrowed on Ava, she frowned back at the man. The man stood tense, eyeing up the blonde with scrutiny. "DeMott wants us for a talk with the guys."

Claudio nodded but before the man walked away, an idea sparked and a smirk touched his lips. He always enjoyed teasing the woman and if she wanted an honest opinion, there was no better man to give it to her. "Jon, hold up!"

The man turned around and raised his eyebrows at them in question. "Yeah?"

"Do you think Ava here needs bigger breasts?"

The blonde in question, turned to Claudio sharply, horrified and embarrassed. Her cheeks burned red and she was stunned to silence, as her mouth dropped open. If looks could kill, Claudio would be a rotting corpse by now.

"Ehhh…" She turned at that sound, seeing the blonde man shrug as he looked directly at her chest, unabashed, with his tongue poking out. "I'd say you're alright, there's a handful there, I guess."

Ava wanted the ground to swallow her whole. More importantly, she didn't know if that was a compliment or not… _'alright'? Was that it? _Her mind begged to ask more questions but the sane part of her thought better of it.

"So you're the next chick to get bigger tits, huh?" Jon chuckled, looking right into her brown eyes. She heard Claudio snicker beside her. "That must be like the golden ticket to get on main roster or something." His laughter grew as he turned on his heel and went in the direction of a gathering crowd.

The minute the man stepped out of ear shot, Ava turned to the laughing man beside her and shoved him to the side. "I can't believe you asked him! You idiot!"

"What's the problem? You wanted an honest opinion and he's the guy to give it to you." Claudio couldn't wipe the grin from his face.

"Because I don't even know him! We've barely said two words to each other and that's when he hit on me in a club last year and he was wasted beyond belief."

"Sounds like Ambrose to me." The man snickered once more. Ava shoved him harder.

"Now he's going to blab to everyone that I'm getting a boob job just so I can get to the main roster!" Groaning loudly, she pulled herself to her feet. "You asshole." Claudio's laughter rang in her ears as she charged over to the punching bags, muttering curses under her breath.

**A/N: Hi there :) Yes, a new story that I'm bursting with ideas for. I hope you're as excited as I am! The synopsis and title for this story are a song by Chris Isaak (and many more people have covered) it's called 'Wicked Game' and the lyrics fit this story perfectly and hint at what's to come. Hope you liked it! Please let me know what you thought with a little review and I'll try my best to update soon as!**

**Hübsches Mädchen – Pretty Girl **

**Hübsch – Pretty **


	2. All Real Everything

**Eight weeks later…**

"And third match on the card is Ava…" Hunter voice was loud and clear but it still shocked the woman to hear her name being called for the first time in a month. Her head had shot up, a smile slipping onto her pink lips as she waited in anticipation to hear the next name. "…versus Eva Marie, with Ava to pick up the win."

A small fireball of rage started in the pit of her stomach. She would not be continuing her heavily built-up feud for the NXT Women's Championship with Paige. No, that was all going to be dropped, just so she could give the rookie Diva a lesson in wrestling instead. The blonde rolled her eyes and accepted that at least she would be winning the match.

What made the situation worse was what Hunter said next. "Next we'll have a backstage segment with new NXT Women's Champ, Paige, being interviewed by Renee. Then Emma will interrupt and…"

Her entire feud with Paige was over and forgotten about, it seemed. Emma was the new challenger. Ava swallowed back the dry lump in her throat. A hand squeezed her knee and the blonde looked across to see her friend and now former grappling partner, Paige, give her a sympathetic look. "Sorry, babe." The older woman forced a smile her way, knowing now she had missed yet another shot at the Championship.

As everyone left the meeting, Paige and Ava walked towards the ring. "Can you believe this?"

"I know, babe."

"They expect me to work with her and show her off, but she can't even make a damn roll up look good." The Brit sniggered as she wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "She thinks she's Queen Bee because she's got her shiny new Total Divas show?" The blonde groaned loudly. "We don't have a network show but we damn sure work our asses off, spending hours in the ring and the gym, learning and—"

"And you don't like her?"

The blonde shot Paige a deadpanned look. "No, she's actually my best friend and we talk about sunshine and daisies all the time."

Paige let out a laugh that was heard all the way down the hall. "Look, you know if you talk to Bill about the match, he could change it and put Bayley in there instead, I'm sure."

"Hell no! I would never refuse a match. Plus, I haven't been on TV in the ring since our championship match last month!" Ava's dark brown eyes floated over to the NXT Women's Championship belt in Paige's hand. Her eyes ghosted over the silver plate with her friends name on it and she frowned, she had wanted it so much that it slipped through her fingers. The blonde was still very happy for Paige but it ate her up inside that she wasn't thought of as championship material. "I'm not passing this match up. I need to keep proving myself to Hunter and everyone. I also now need to go talk over the match with 'All Red Everything' too." Ava made a face of distaste.

"Show her whose house it is." Paige gave her friend a sly smirk.

The woman walked in a different direction, hunting out a head of bright red hair. The Total Diva was not hard to find, a camera crew surrounded her as she flipped her vibrantly coloured hair over her shoulder with a bright smile. Ava waited in the distance, watching on as Eva Marie and JoJo stood and gossiped to one another. Eva's sultry eyes locked onto a passing Roman Reigns and Ava resisted the urge to scoff. The second the camera was lowered, she strode towards the pair. "Eva? I'm Ava, we've got a match tonight?"

The Divas eyes settled on the shorter woman, narrowing slightly as she took in her wrestling shorts and oversized zip-up sweatshirt that dwarfed her body. The taller woman didn't look impressed. "Yeah, I heard."

"You got a spare half hour to go over some spots and moves for the match?"

"I don't really have the time for that. We're filming and then I have to go to hair and makeup afterwards."

Ava swallowed the anger down, breathing slowly. "When do you have the time?"

"Not tonight. On Raw we just go with the flow, don't you know how to do that down here?" Eva raised a brow, challenging the blonde with a smirk. JoJo stood silently, watching the pair with a small grin. Ava was just thankful there were no cameras on them in that moment.

_Don't roll your eyes. Don't roll your eyes. Don't roll your eyes. _"Yeah. I know exactly how to do that." Giving no room for a reply, Ava strode away from the redhead, silently fuming. A plan was slowly forming in her head for the match, even without Eva's input, she would make sure to put on a show.

* * *

Looking up from his pork ribs, the Shield member licked the BBQ sauce off his fingers before wiping his hands on a napkin. His eyes followed the voice of his Swiss-native friend, Claudio, to find him stood with the girl from the last time he visited NXT. Jon couldn't remember her name, but he did remember she wanted a boob job.

He cranked his neck to the side as he took her in, looking at the skimpy, shiny ring shorts that hugged her backside. From the muscle definition in her thighs alone, he could tell she worked out. Her blonde hair was done up in big waves, hanging down her shoulders and her face covered in makeup… she looked like any other woman walking around here. Jon was just disappointed that her upper body was covered in a sweatshirt that was clearly five times too big for her small frame. There was no way to tell if she had gotten bigger boobs yet.

As the blonde walked away from Claudio, Jon tucked back into his BBQ glazed ribs, watching as the man approached the table he sat at. "Did she get her tits done then? I couldn't tell from the sweatshirt." The Ohioan swallowed his mouthful of meat.

Claudio chuckled, shaking his head. "No, she didn't."

"Shame. I wanted a peak."

Backhanding the man in the arm, the older man shot Jon a scolding look. "Knock it out, man. She didn't want them done, management suggested it."

"She thought about it though. Smart girl - she knows that's the way these chicks make it up there quicker."

"Shut up, man. She's not getting them done. Ava's discussing other ideas with Hunter instead."

"Well, if she changes her mind… I want first feel." Jon shrugged a shoulder, biting back a smirk. "Purely for research purposes."

"You feel up enough fake breasts at your strip clubs. You should be an expert by now."

"Titty master is actually the name they call me."

"And they really put up with that ego of yours? For how much?" The Swiss man smirked while Jon shot him an unimpressed look.

"You jealous? Because I can hook you up tonight, if you want?" Jon grinned wide and Claudio knew he wasn't joking around. The man loved the single life and loved women a little too much for his own good. "And just so you know, when you're the United States Champ, you don't pay for it, man. But I guess I could get you a free dance."

"Free dance?" Colby appeared beside them, dropping himself into a spare seat at the table.

"Not for you, kiddo."

The younger man shook his head, ignoring his friend. "Whatever. We're on in 30 minutes. A run in with Graves during his match and a triple power bomb."

Jon nodded, "Where's Joe?" Referring to the third member of the Shield, he looked around catering for the Samoan man.

"He's on the phone to his daughter."

"He's missing the match then." Claudio nodded towards the monitor, showing the NXT ring that Eva Marie had just entered.

Letting out a loud groan, Jon pleaded, "Do we _have_ to watch this crap?"

"Yes, now shut up."

"I need more food to get me through this."

_Readjusting her bright red hair, Eva Marie swung it over her shoulder as she pouted then blew a kiss to the audience. They cheered in response, calling out her name for all to hear, while some other chants grew louder for all to hear. _

**_Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well,_**

**_Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well…_**

_Boos set in as a woman sauntered onto the stage. "And making her way to the ring, from Seattle, Washington… Ava… Marie!" The name came out with a hint of laughter from the announcer, Eden. _

_The woman had a thick head of long red hair and wore a wide smirk. Wearing skimpy black lycra shorts and a metallic silver custom bralette top, she strutted down the ramp, shouting "all red everything!", whilst swing her hips. _

"Atta girl, Ave." Colby grinned, bouncing in his chair with excitement like a kid.

"You shit your pants or something, Colb?" Jon called out a little too loudly, appearing with a new plateful of food. Colby glared at the older man.

_Hopping up onto the ring apron, the newly turned redhead responded to the catcalls and boos by draping her body over the ropes. She slid through the second rope, bending further forward, accentuating the curve of her backside, before jumping through and climbing onto a turnbuckle, exactly how Eva Marie had earlier. _

_Mocking her hair flip and kiss, the woman climbed down clumsily, before stroking her hands down her body. The boos were soon replaced with a small amount of cheers. The woman turned back to face her, now angry, competitor. _

"_Ava _**_Marie_**_?! Really? You're trying to be me?!" The Total Diva star shouted. "You could never be me!"_

_The woman smirked and turned to the crowd, flipping the locks of the red wig over her shoulder with another pout. She then quickly readjusted the hair again, smoothing it down over her shoulder, like the Total Divas star had done earlier. Eva had had enough and stormed forward towards the imposter, shoving her shoulders hard. The woman merely smirked and turned to look back at the Diva. _

_The fire in her eyes shone brightly as she took one step forward and slapped the redhead. Eva turned back, her face a picture of rage and adrenaline, as she surged forward once more and reached for the red wig. The woman dodged the movement but ran at Eva with a thesz press, aiming slaps and right hooks as she straddled her body and pinned her to the canvas. Hooking Eva's legs, she made the first attempt at a pin. As her wig had been slightly knocked off, as Eva kicked out at two, Ava rose to her feet with a grin and pulled it off completely. _

_Her eyes glared down at Eva and her now-disheveled form. "This is my house!" She screamed loud for all to hear, before throwing the red wig onto Eva._

"Here we go…" Claudio's knee bounced, as he intently watched the screen in catering.

"She doesn't look half bad as a redhead." Came the words from Jon that made Claudio glare at him. "What? It makes her looks all slutty and sultry." He shrugged and bit into another pork rib. "More slutty than sultry with those shorts, though."

_Ava charged at the redhead, but she backed away and tucked herself into the ring ropes before she could touch her. The referee pushed Ava back, allowing Eva Marie space to breathe. The Total Divas star readjusted her hair over one shoulder, before sliding her hands down her slender waist. "All red everything, baby!" _

_The blonde shot her an amused smirk before fluffing up her long hair, and then sliding her hands down her own body, pausing at her chest. "All real everything, baby!" Her hands continued down her slim waist, to finish on her wide hips and muscled thighs. The crowd cheered louder for both woman. _

"Yeah, you can see now that she didn't get her tits done."

Claudio closed his eyes and took a deep breath, choosing to ignore his friends' comment.

_The two women charged at each other, locking up before Eva Marie took over with a headlock. Ava quickly manoeuvred out of it, throwing the redhead into the ropes. Eva came back at her, but quickness prevailed, as the blonde did a backbend missing the clothesline. Kicking her feet up in the air whilst balancing on her hands, Ava locked her ankles around Eva's neck and flipped her over, in a headscissors takedown. Bending over, she blew a kiss to the scowling reality star. _

_Extending her arms to the crowd, the blonde yelled out again, "This is my house! Don't you get it?" When she turned around to face Eva Marie, she was met with a clothesline that connected and then a roll up for the pin. Ava kicked out at two, which Eva followed up with another roll up pin, hooking the legs, but she slipped and resulted in a sloppy landing. Eva's elbow connected with Ava's shoulder, Ava winced at the sharp pain, rolling out the way. _

_Eva blew a quick kiss to the audience, showing Ava how it was really done before going back on the attack. Grabbing the blonde's arms, she stretched them behind her, press her knee into the spine. Ava winced again, feeling the pain return to her shoulder. The redhead threw mocking faces to the crowd whilst the chants from them grew louder. Ava rolled on her sides and lifted out of the stretch, standing up with Eva still pulling on her. The taller woman picked up Ava into a quick suplex before pinning her once more. When Ava kicked out again, Eva went back to striking knees to her spine, before lifting her up into yet another powerful suplex._

"How long does this go on for?" The Ohioan spoke up from his food, wiping his mouth with a napkin before stretching back in his seat.

"Probably not long." Colby shrugged, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Thank god. It's like amateur night with these two models and their—" Jon was quickly silenced as he spared a look at the screen.

_Eva Marie was in a daze standing before a turnbuckle where Ava stood atop._ _The blonde did a backflip off the top, catching Eva Marie into a DDT on the way down. _

Colby spared a look at Jon, to see him shrug. "I guess that move wasn't too bad."

_Ava hooked the redhead's leg for the 3 count. As her arm was raised in victory, she shot the audience a smug smirk before ripping her arm from the referee and shouting to the crowd again, "This is my house!" She bent down to the fallen woman, "and don't you forget that!" _

"Not bad? Are you kidding me? She was awesome, man." Colby beamed like a little kid, backhanding the man once on the shoulder. Jon shot him a look that made him retract his hand. "You seriously never heard of her on the Indies before? She went by Ava Nevaeh."

"She was the independents?" The Shield member raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're shitting me."

"She was with me, man, in Ring of Honor." Claudio spoke up. "She was my valet, the Swiss Miss connection." The European wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ohhhh! So you fucked?"

Claudio look repulsed. "Of course not! She's like my little sister."

"You missed out there then. What's the point of a valet if you don't reap the benefits?"

Shaking his head, Colby looked infuriated with the man. "You're hopeless."

"What can I say? I didn't really pay attention to the chicks unless they were in my bed." Jon grinned.

"Nice to see you haven't changed much then."

**A/N: A great big THANK YOU to: xSamiliciousx, Klutz, elliexhardy, Guest and Willow Edmund for your lovely reviews - they make me smile :) I'm building up to something here, stick with me... you're in for a ride! I promise. I've got nearly this entire story planned out, except the ending. The match in this is based off the Bayley vs Eva Marie match on NXT. Every story needs a villain; Eva Marie is Ava's… expect them to bump heads a few times! **

**Hope you enjoyed :) There's also a snazzy new banner for this fic on my profile, so go check that out if you so wish! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Intimidation Factor

Tiny.

That's how she felt when she sat before the COO of WWE, Triple H himself. It wasn't that he was intimidating, it was- well, she felt a tiny bit intimidated. Who wouldn't be?

She squirmed in her seat as he looked down at the piece of paper with Joy's notes scrawled on. She had been given time to think them over and now she was respectively declining one specific item. "I'm fine with any of the suggestions. I'll do more work on promos, I'll work harder in the ring, I don't care about cutting or colouring my hair if that's what you want… Everything _but_ getting unneeded surgery." She refused to meet his eyes, her gaze solely focused on the piece of paper he had been reading. "I'm not modifying my body for wrestling. I never have and I never will. My wrestling ability isn't defined by the size of my boobs… sir."

_I just said 'boobs' to my boss._ She had rambled. She had opened her big mouth and rambled and now she was a bit embarrassed. Ava feared that she had insulted women already in the business and that would hurt his opinion of her. Nails dug into the palm of her hands and she chewed the inside of her mouth as she awaited his response.

The laugh she heard jolted her head up to meet his smiling face. A frown marred her face. _Was he insulted that she wouldn't do whatever it took to get to the main roster? Was he laughing at the audacity of her comments? _She couldn't understand the man before her.

"I agree with you." Relief flooded her. "You don't have to change and Joy should not have given you these suggestions without going through them with me or Regal first. I'll have a talk with her, don't worry." Ava froze in fright, imagining the backlash she would receive from Joy. But a small part of her jumped in actual joy that the woman would be getting her comeuppance.

Unbeknownst to her, Hunter had been the one who had recruited her two years ago. He had watched her become a true sports entertainer here in NXT and a better, more refined wrestler. But she didn't need to know that just yet. "Regal and I will have a think and get back to you, alright?"

She nodded meekly, standing to shake his hand. "Thank you, sir." Ava left the room as if it were on fire. She was more than happy to leave, hoping and praying they didn't want to fire her instead of thinking up new ideas. It was the easier option after all.

* * *

Groaning, her head rested in her hands. "It's nearly time for the spring clean out, Colb, don't sugar coat it. I've barely got any time left to prove I'm worth a contract renewal and I've got Joy up my ass." The pair before her snickered and she groaned even louder. "_Shut up_, you two."

"You haven't got one ounce of joy in you at all." Colby quipped, sniggering to himself.

"Ava, sweetheart, there's no point in worrying yourself until it happens."

Claudio's attempt to relax her was all in vain as she glared at him. "There is point in worrying when women are moving up to the main roster faster than me! I've been here nearly two years, from FCW to NXT and still nothing! There's something wrong and I need to fix it and I have to do it before Hunter fires me and—"

"And you really need a drink already." Colby sat up straight, casting a look over the bar they were sat in and attempted to track down their drinks they had ordered 15 minutes ago. "Because I can't listen to this all night."

"You don't have to. You're safe on the main roster in an awesome stable that pretty much have job security for life."

"Shut up already. No one has job security for life in the business we're in."

Ava pouted in response to Colby, sulking down. "I want my beer."

"Now that's over – what day are you moving back to Iowa?" Claudio asked his friend, ignoring a sulking blonde at their table.

"Wednesday. We land and hopefully Jess will have finished the last bits in the house and then the big drive back."

"Need a hand?"

"I'm free too. Can empty the truck if ya like?"

The two toned man smirked, "Oh, don't put yourself out, grumpy." Ava shot him a glare. "But yeah I'll take you up on that, need all the space possible really. Jess has a lot of stuff! We'll try and leave by 8am."

Ava whined, sinking lower into her chair. "8 am? Are you kidding me?"

"It's like an 18hour drive, what do you expect?"

Her brow pulled even lower, as she spoke quiet and hopeful. "A longer sleep in maybe? C'mon! It's a weekend!"

"No rest for the wicked. I'll see you at 7." Colby ignored the grunt she made. "Xavier is helping the day before load things in and Neville is driving the box truck so we can drive ours up there."

"You're trusting Neville to drive all your personal belongings up to the mid-west? Do you not remember when he nearly drove his car off the road just a few months ago? He just missed the ditch."

Her question was met with silence from the two men. Colby bowed his head and scratched his neck. "Yeah… I didn't have time to ask anyone else and he offered?! I'm sure it'll be fine, don't sweat it."

Ava slung an arm around the Swiss man's shoulders, "Just your decision of who you want to drive with now!"

He made a face. "Ooh… I think I'll take my chances with him."

She removed her arm from him and crossed them over her chest. "Excuse me, I am a good driver!"

"Doubtful." She turned at the voice behind her and her eyes settled on another Shield member. His dirty blonde hair was messy and falling in his eyes as he slipped his baseball cap off. "You can hardly walk down the street without tripping up." Ava made a sound of disproval under her breath and turned back around, avoiding the blue eyes that stared back at her. "Hey boys." Nodding at the men, he slumped into the stool opposite Ava. She resisted the urge to glare at him after his comment. "You had a good match last week."

The blondes head shot up, surprised at the comment the Shield member had made. She frowned at him, uncertain. "Thanks?"

Nodding, he chewed on his gum. "Yeah, you weren't bad… for a chick."

Ava narrowed her eyes at him. "Pig." The smirk on his lips turned into a grin, clearly loving her reaction. As soon as the waitress arrived with their drinks, she perked up though.

"Sweet, man, you got me a beer. Thanks." Jon murmured as he swiped the last beer before Ava got even reach over.

Colby spoke up, "Actually—"

"That's mine, you ass." Before the rim of the bottle could touch his lips, Ava pulled it from him.

Jon looks at her, down her body slightly then back at the guys. "You don't want to share, sunshine?"

"No thanks. Go get your own." Ava takes a big gulp before turning back to Colby to her left. Smirking, the Ohioan slinked off in search of the bar. "Who invited him?"

Clearing his throat, Colby scratched the back of his neck. "Uhh… I did? Plus, he's helping us move too."

Groaning, Ava slumped forward. "Could this week get any worse?"

"You could get fired?"

The death glare she shot the two-toned man could have buried him six feet under.

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm terrible. I haven't updated in so so long. ****THANK YOU for your reviews, follows and favourites! **** I've just had trouble getting through the initial first few chapters… but I've got most of this fic planned out now! So I'm really sorry for the delay and if this feels super short but I just wanted to get it out ASAP for you guys. The next one will be with you hopefully in the next week! I'm seriously going to attempt a regular updating schedule now! Please review, I'd love to know what you thought and if you had any ideas for this ;) **


	4. Competition is a Sin

Ava felt like death warmed over.

After a long day training at NXT with Paige, they went out for some civilised food and a couple of drinks with Renee. Which turned into 5 drinks. Which turned into karaoke. Which led to another drink and it not being so civilised anymore. Which led to Paige being the responsible non-drinking, underage adult and leading them both home. But not before another song in the street.

Which led to Ava now dragging herself out of her Ford pick up truck with a mild, raging hangover. The morning rays of sunshine blazed down on the blonde as she pulled her sunglasses down over her tired eyes. She was doing this for Colby and Jess. "Colby and Jess. Colby and Jess." She repeated the mantra over and over again in her head as it banged a thousand times. Trudging up the steps in denim cut off shorts and a plain white tee, her body ached in protest from the night before.

The door swung open and the hungover blonde was greeted with a yapping at her feet and a grinning brunette. "Ava!" The high pitched voice reverberated throughout her head in a dull thud. Ow.

"Morning." The two met in a hug.

"You're late." Colby's voice rang out through the room.

Ava glared at him. "I brought doughnuts." She lifted a bag in the air with a serious look. "But that tone does not qualify you for one."

Colby frowned for a brief moment before smiling. "Coffee?"

"Doughnut granted. Show me the coffee." Leaving the doughnuts in Jess' trusting hands, she panned round the room, hugging Claudio and Neville in a quick greeting. "Ambrose." she nodded to the smirking man on the couch. Before he could speak, she turned to the small dog at her feet. "Hi Kevin!" Her voice turned into a smooshy, high pitched mess as she dog licked her hand and smiled up at her in his own little way.

"No hug for me, sunshine?"

Rolling her eyes, she ignored the third Shield member and turned towards the kitchen. "So where's this coffee, Lopez?" Holding Kevin in her arms, she rubbed his tummy. "Can I take this little squishy one in the car with me?"

"No, Kevin stays with me. I'm not having you dognap him again."

"It only happened once." Reaching for a doughnut, she avoided the confused stares from everyone else. "You guys didn't even notice til the next day!"

Colby gave her a deadpan look before extending a cup of coffee towards her. "Put the dog down."

Without another question, she put Kevin down on the floor and accepted her coffee with a shy look. "Thanks."

Behind her she could hear the small dog barking incessantly. "Colb there's something wrong with your dog."

"Or maybe there's something wrong with you?" Ava shot back with a saccharine smile to the Shield member.

"Ain't nothing wrong with me, sunshine. I'm a well oiled machine."

Ava's brown eyes narrowed at the Ohioan as he took a big bite of his doughnut and then grinned at her. "When do we leave?"

"We were waiting on you, love." Neville replied, his mouth full of doughnut.

With doughnuts consumed, coffee quickly downed and their energy spiking, the group gathered boxes and precious objects that Colby and Jess didn't trust Neville and Jon to drive to Iowa. Loading up the box truck was completed yesterday, with all their large items; Colby's car and Ava's pickup truck were next.

"The first stop is Atlanta. No sooner, guys. We're already late leaving." He shot a look at the blonde, who shrunk back beside the Swiss.

The couple and Kevin slipped into their car, while Jon and Neville slipped inside the box truck front seats and Ava slunk over to her pick up truck, with Claudio already waiting.

"You still wanna take the first shift?"

Shaking her head, she pulled her sunglasses over her tired eyes. "Nah, I trust you to not crash my car, Claud."

"I wouldn't think of it, darling."

"Plus I'm hungover. Blame Renee."

Jumping behind the wheel, the Swiss man shook his head with a small chuckle. "who said it wasn't your fault?"

Ava frowned at him behind her shades. "You think I'm the bad influence here?"

"We'll see what happens when she moves to New York."

Buckling up, they left the apartment complex car park and headed for the highway. "Way to kick me when I'm down. Another friend I'm losing to another state." The blonde reached into the backseat for a blanket, which was hidden beneath a tower of boxes. "First Colby, soon Renee... You're not allowed to leave Florida until I move!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Schatz."

"Good." She hummed, a smile gracing her lips before snuggling down against the door. Ava would take the next shift of driving; she couldn't let Claudio drive the full 8 hours to Georgia.

"I uh… got a call the other day. From Jake." Sparing her a quick look, he waited for her to react.

Her voice was cold and distant. "What did he want?"

"Your number. He only has your old one."

Scoffing, she pulled the blanket tighter around her. "You should block his number."

"One step ahead of you." Claudio winked at her and watched the smile reappear on her lips. "He's not coming near you again. Just thought you should know he's been asking for you." Reacing over the console, he squeezed her knee with a warm smile.

"He's reason enough to move out of Florida."

"Where shall we move to then? If you could... any state?"

Washington flashed into her mind, hollow memories from growing up in Seattle. The cold and wet days spent hiding from the torrential rain. _No, definitely not. _She quickly scrapped that idea and thought of warmer states. "California? Or maybe Arizona? The Bellas say how pretty it is."

The Swiss Superman raised a brow at her, a quizzical look on his face. "But?" He knew her too well sometimes.

"I like Florida. It's my state. He can fuck off to Canada for all I like." Laughter broke out through the car as she closed her eyes, a fond feeling of safety settling into her bones. "Wake me in a few hours when you want to switch."

* * *

A loud rumble echoed through the car and the blonde frowned, her foot pressing down on the pedal, forcing the car to go faster. Her stomach had been rumbling gradually for the past hour while Claudio slept soundly in the seat beside her.

Trying to think of something other than food was hopeless when all she passed on the roads were food stops.

Nachos were calling her name.

Or maybe waffles. Or pancakes. Or a burger.

"Thank god." The bright neon lights of Colby's chosen diner came into view. "Claud. Wake up. Food!"

The man grumbled beside her. "I woke you up a lot nicer than shouting food in your face."

She shot him a look before grabbing her sweatshirt and jumping down from the truck. Ava could practically smell the food from inside.

The gummy bears she had been snacking on for four hours had done nothing to satisfy her hunger. Pulling the NXT sweatshirt over her head, she skipped over to the doors. "C'mon! We're last and they've probably already ordered!" Claudio appeared behind her and she locked the doors quickly, pulling him along.

The smell of food greeted her and a smile graced her lips. "Heaven." She muttered, as Claudio spotted their group in the corner. The dinner rush had yet to begin, so thankfully the diner wasn't busy and the risk of anyone disturbing them was low.

Dropping down into the booth, she settled in beside Jess who had Kevin sat beside her. Slyly, Ava scooped the small Yorkie up and placed him on her lap. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Colby give her a look. Jess mindlessly reached over to scratch his ears, while looking at the menu, and Ava shot Colby a triumphant look.

"I'll have a burger with fries and a coffee, darlin'." The Shield member across from her requested as the waitress came over. Ava watched as he sent a wink her way. The waitress blushed.

"Bacon burger with fries and your biggest coffee, please." Ava ordered, snapping the waitress out of the Ambrose-daze she was caught in. The redhead woman snapped a look over to the blonde, scribbling down her order before moving on to everyone else.

Jon smirked at Ava, "Jealous?"

The blonde in question screwed her face up. "Hungry." Beside him, Claudio roped him into a debate but his gaze stayed on Ava.

When their food arrived, they dug in eagerly. With Kevin still on her lap, Ava tore a bit of bacon from her burger and slipped it to the Yorkie before wiping her hands and taking the first big bite.

* * *

"Next time, Colby, could ya maybe move somewhere a bit closer, mate?" Neville yawned, jumping out of the box truck at their last stop in Fairfield, Illinois before they reached Davenport, Iowa. The motel parking lot they had pulled into was barren except for a few cars. They had endured another 7 long hours of driving, with Claudio and Ava stopping halfway for coffees to keep themselves awake.

"Or maybe just ship it in a container?" Ava chimed in, slumped against the back of her truck, holding a cup of luke warm coffee. They had officially made it to the Midwest and there was a cold breeze in the air as it neared midnight. The blonde had changed into a pair of skinny jeans in the car, her shorts were hardly the greatest choice for cool evenings in Illinois.

"Or own less shit?" Jon offered, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Just a suggestion."

"None of you guys had to come, you all offered."

"We are good friends." Colby turned to Cesaro, appearing from round the side with a shrug.

"And we are all very grateful you guys helped us." Jess spoke with a smile, before back handing Colby's stomach. "Aren't we, Colb?"

"Yes." He grumbled.

"Alright, the motel has a few rooms spare and there's a bar down the street from it too. How about we get some food, sleep and leave first thing in the morning?"

"Yes!" Neville and Ava begged at the same time.

"Yeah, they need their beauty sleep." Smirking, Jon finished his smoke and flicked it into the street. Ava scowled at him as he just winked at her.

"Food then sleep! Let's go before these two tear each other apart." Colby led the charge, Kevin securely wrapped in his girlfriend's arms.

"Children, settle down." Claudio chimed, stepping in the way of Ava. "Off you go."

Rolling her eyes, she followed Neville in the direction of their motel to check in and get their rooms, before they would fill their stomachs with food. As Jess spoke to her about decorating their new home, Ava could feel a pair of eyes on her. A prickly sensation started at the base of her neck and trickled down her spine. Rolling her shoulders, she scratched the back of her neck and tugged on the sleeves on her old Seattle Seahawks sweatshirt.

Glancing behind her, she caught a pair of blue eyes on her. A smirk greeted her. Ava couldn't help the frown that appeared. Why was he looking at her like that? Did he enjoy annoying her? _Of course he does. _Rolling her eyes, she listened to Jess again, offering bits of advice and smiling at her ideas. All the while trying to fight off the same shiver that continued to run up and down her spine.

The bar was quaint; a tired and quiet sports bar not too far from the motel. Ordering three sharing portions of nachos and a round of drinks, they settled in. A good night's sleep would do them all good in the long run. There was no way they could run on coffee for 18hours worth of driving. Yes, it was part of their job but none of them were prepared to do it on their days off.

"I think we're gonna head back." Jess spoke up, a tired Kevin wrapped up in her arms. "I need sleep and so does Colby or he gets grouchy." The main in question missed his girlfriend rolling her eyes. "Such a drama queen."

"I am not!"

"You kinda are." Ava mumbled into her beer.

"Always have been." Claudio chimed in.

"Especially when you don't have your special coffees." Jon said, shoving a handful of nachos in his mouth.

"But after your Crossfit you're a happy lad." Neville nodded, with a mouthful of nachos.

Colby was silent as he glared at everyone at the table. "Let's go."

"Ooh, it's starting early." Ava chuckled, downing the last of her beer. The couple left sharply, dropping some money down with Jess barely containing her laughter.

"I say we get another round!"

"Nev, you can't really drive a box truck hungover." Ava reasoned with the Geordie.

"Yeah, you can't really drive either. You hit a car on the way here."

"You what?" The blonde's eyes went wide at Jon's words. "What happened?"

"He wasn't moving fast enough! Snails go faster! _Me Nan drives faster_!" Neville argued, clearly not having any of it.

"So you just bumped him to get him going?"

"You what?"

"I gave him a nudge and he went even slower." Shrugging, the Englishman avoided their stares.

"I wonder why." Claudio said dryly.

"Then Nev decided to go even faster and give him another nudge." Jon continued, much to the dismay of Neville. "Off the road." Ava and Claudio's eyes went a bit wider. "Which is why I took over driving."

"Because that sounds much safer." Ava muttered. "I need another drink. Someone go bag the pool table."

"I'll help ya lass."

"Because you don't want them ragging on you any longer?"

"Just shut up and walk."

Ava burst out laughing, finding their way to the bar with Neville frowning behind her.

* * *

"Tequila then beer."

"What happened to not driving hungover?"

She shot Claudio a look. "This won't even make a dent. Plus, we'll eat pancakes in the morning. It'll soak it right up."

Grabbing a shot, Jon down it quickly. "Couldn't have picked something stronger, sunshine?" He shot her a challenging look.

"If I wanted to torture myself and order a shot of Absinthe, I would. But I'd rather enjoy this." Shooting him a saccharine smile, she downed her shot all the while keeping her eyes locked on his. "I say we make this interesting." Reaching the pool table, she proceeded to rack the balls up. "A little competition, if you will."

"You really wanna challenge the United States champ?" Waggling his eyebrows, he took a gulp of beer and reached for the pool stick. Quirking her head to the side, Ava smiled. She knew what game she was playing. It was Jon who didn't know the truth about her pool skills.

"Alright, lass." Neville reached for the other one and Jon's smirk fell a bit.

"This isn't going to end well." Claudio sang out, taking a sip of his beer and sitting back, watching as Jon and Neville leaned over the table to take their shots.

"I just want to put him in his smart ass little place is all."

"Don't anger the beast, Schatz."

"Please, he should've known he was messing with the real champ." Taking another sip of her beer, she watched as with each ball that landed in the hole, Jon took one step closer to winning. "You just don't wanna be embarrassed." The blonde teased, nudging the Swiss man in the side.

"It wouldn't be the first time I lost to you."

"And it won't be the last, big man."

Chuckling, he wrapped an arm around her neck. "I'm not gonna go easy on you and let you win like last time."

"Pfft! Let me win?" Snorting, Ava shook her head. "Sure. Whatever you wanna believe."

**A/N: Thanks for reading :) Hope you all enjoyed it and yes this chapter was a bit fillerish, but it's got some backstory mixed in there for future bits to come and I promise you… it's going to pick up very **_**very**_** soon ;) and for that reason, I'm excited. There's lots to come. So much planned for this little fic of mine. Thank you to shakeitsalome, xSamiliciousx and KairiAnnaYukari21 for reviewing and all of you who favourite and alerted, I see you guys lurking there too! Next update should be with you by next week, promise! Please review and tell me what YOU think!**

**Schatz - Darling**


	5. The Art of Distraction

"You definitely let her win."

Claudio raised his hands up in defence as Ava grinned wildly before him.

"Or maybe I'm just that good."

"Nah, he definitely let you win." Challenging her, Jon leaned back with a smirk.

The blonde casually took a sip of her beer. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is then? Make this a bit more interesting."

He copied her eyebrow raise and rose to his feet, taking a few steps before her until he was towering above her. "What does the winner get?"

"Whatever she wants." The grin that overtook Ava's mouth was infectious. Claudio and Neville chuckled from the sidelines, drinking their beers, as the two stubborn wrestlers placed their bets.

"Cute." Jon flicked her nose before taking the cue from Claudio and racking up the balls. "I'll decide what I want when I win."

Ava chuckled under her breath, before ordering another beer. "Good luck." Through her beer goggles, the Ohioan wrestler seemed to get more attractive with every glug. He seemed friendlier after a few beers, easier to talk to, and not so rude. His stubble seemed more pronounced, with a flirty glint in his blue eyes and the same cocky smirk fixed on his lips.

Yep. It was definitely the beers talking to her.

Despite that, she took another sip from her fresh beer and approached the table with a smug look on her face. Her goal was to win. Not that she had a clue what she wanted when she won.

"Ladies first?" With a flirtatious smile, he extended his arm out to her.

Taking a quick scan of the pool table, she struck first. The ball landed in the hole successfully. Her smile only grew bigger. She landed the second one, and then a third one. Risking a glance over to the Shield member, she saw his eyes glued to the table, his jaw tight.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

"Still think he let me win?"

He cleared his throat. "I think he was going soft on you. I won't." Stifling a laugh, she aimed for her next shot. "I go hard."

His words distracted her, her hand jerking suddenly and missing the shot. She cursed under her breath as she took a slow step away from the table. "You did that on purpose."

"Did what?" Playing innocent, he gave her a broad smile as he stepped towards the pool table. "I'm simply a man of my word." He made shot after shot, growing cockier with every accurate strike.

Ava took another gulp of her beer. If he was going to play dirty, then so was she. Tugging her v-neck white t-shirt down a bit, she rose from her stool and pretended to be analysing the table.

Jon bent over the table to take his shot when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ava round the table. She stood opposite him, leaning over to check out the shots. But it was her ample chest which caught his attention. Mumbling under his breath, he tried to look away.

He remembered what he had said about her chest before and under closer look, there was definitely more than a handful there.

Each time he tried to settle the shot, his eyes found her chest once again. Her brow was hard, ignoring him completely as she looked over the table.

"Something wrong, Ambrose?"

Clearing his throat, he grumbled out a quiet "no" before taking his shot… and missing.

"Goody! My turn!" Her grin was infectious as she bounced on her toes before checking out the table again. She aimed and the ball landed successfully in the pocket.

"I'm gonna need another drink to get through this." Claudio rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the antics of the blonde. She bounced around the table, sipping her beer and considering which shot to take next.

"I'm with ya on that, mate." Neville agreed, as the pair got up and walked to the bar.

"So this is how you won with Claudio then?"

"What?" She bent over the table next to him and aimed her cue at the balls and landed another in the pocket. "You saying I use my body to win?" She landed another ball. "Nope. I've honed my skill in plenty of bars over my time. This is all skill, Ambrose."

She caught the smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips as she rounded the table to lean over for her shot.

His blue eyes strayed south to the curve of her ass. Contemplating the idea of losing to her, just so he could enjoy the view, he leaned back on his stool. But quickly dismissed it.

No, he was going to win. The guys would never let him live it down otherwise.

Leaning close, she aimed another perfect shot, smiling as she knew this would be her winning shot. But hot breath on her ear caught her off guard and she missed the ball, scraping the corner of it. "Nice shot, sweetcheeks." His voice was rough and laced with whiskey.

Ava turned sharply, a glare fixed on her face. "You ass!" She gave him a hard shove on his chest. It infuriated her even more than he barely moved but his smirk grew into a shit eating grin.

"What can I say, sunshine, I've honed my skill too."

"At what? infuriating people?"

"Nope." He popped the 'P' "The art of distraction."

"The art of being an ass more like." She rolled her eyes and slumped on her stool, her eyes scanning for Claudio and Neville to see them entertaining two ladies at the bar. She frowned hard.

It was so easy for them to find company in the arms of a partner. Not so much for the blonde. Sure, she had guys interested but none that took her fancy. Not since...

She sighed and swallowed back the last of her beer. She needed another but the game wasn't over yet. Especially not for Ambrose who was loving her losing a little too much. Turning back to the pool table, she saw Jon's eyes locked on her as he aimed. "Something wrong, Ambrose?"

He shook his head, his eyes stilled fixed on hers as he aimed his cue stick and pocketed another ball. A smirk touched his lips and she fought back a smile of her own.

"Now you're just trying to show off and piss me off, all at the same time." Approaching the table, she spied his half full beer and picked it up, taking a gulp. That wiped the smile off his face. "I'm losing, I need more beer to make myself feel better."

"Why? You worried about what I'm going to make you do?" He raised an eyebrow, moving around the table. "I've got a lot of ideas for you, sunshine."

"Probably illegal."

"Nah, I promise I won't get you arrested."

"Why don't I trust you on that?"

He shot her a wink in reply as she continued to drink his beer. The more balls he pocketed, the harder the frowned and the more beer she drank. At least the Shield member was getting easier to be around with alcohol in her system. He wasn't so bad anymore. He was still an ass to her sometimes, but a nice ass.

Upon her thoughts, her eyes trailed his form as he leaned over to take his winning shot. He had strong arms, shown off with the t-shirt he was wearing, his leather jacket discarded to the side. His ass wasn't bad either. Her beer goggles made her look at him in a completely different light. She felt an urge to run her hand through his mop of messy golden hair. It was falling in his eyes but he still pocketed the black ball. "I win!" He shouted obnoxiously, causing the blonde to roll her eyes and finish his beer. Shaking herself from her thoughts, it was no point thinking of the man like that and instead went back to being a sore loser.

"Someone doesn't like losing." His shit eating grin had returned to his face and it infuriated her all over again. She tried to swallow her pride and congratulate him but she couldn't.

"Because you cheated."

"I think you initiated it, sweetheart." He pointed down to her v-neck t-shirt which exposed the top of her chest.

"I can't help my boobs being there. They just are."

Chuckling under his breath, he raised his eyebrows at her. "Well, aren't you going to congratulate me?"

"Congratulations..." She shot him a saccharine smile. "...on the art of being an ass." Patting him on his shoulder, she rose to pass him.

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "Don't you wanna find out what I have planned for you?"

"Oh, I was just gonna hand myself in now to the police?"

"Cute. But no. Come on..." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and steered her to the bar. "We're gonna do shots. I get the feeling you're nicer when you're drunk."

Ava's whole body froze up as he walked her to the bar close to them. Catching Claudio's gaze, she mouthed 'help me' and saw him laugh loudly before turning away. Ass.

"How many shots?"

"Until I say."

"What shots?"

"Whatever I say."

"Can I choose?"

"No."

"You really must want me to throw up on you."

"Wouldn't be the first time someone has." Gesturing to a bar stool, she reluctantly took her spot and tried her best to fight back the sour feeling that tore through her. No, she was going to put on a brave face and take what he dished out. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Actually that depended on what shots he put in front of her.

"Okay, first up we have tequila."

Dropping a shot in front of the blonde, Jon gave her a smile. Ava trumped his smile with a grin of her own as she quickly down the shot. Her tongue dropped out after with a sigh.

"…Which wasn't the reaction I wanted."

"I love tequila. Let's have another!"

"No."

She pouted as he put another in front of her.

"Vodka." She made a face and he smirked. "Off you go."

"You too." He nodded to her before downing it without turning his nose up. She downed it quickly and followed it up with a swig of her beer.

"I hate you."

"There was me thinking this was us bonding, sunshine."

"Bond over tequila sure, but not this wheel of fortune horror style shots."

"Next, absinthe."

"Yuck." Without thinking about it, she downed the shot as a shiver ran down her spine and her mouth turned into a frown. Jon smiled to himself before reaching for his own.

"Now, Jagermeister."

"I seriously hate you."

* * *

"This is all your fault."

Smiling to himself, Jon watched as the Swissman tried to support one side of the blonde as they trudged along the motel to get to their rooms. Her giggle was heard by everyone, Neville sniggering to himself as he watched her try and walk.

Jon bit back his smile and lifted up Ava's other arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, helping his friend out. "We only did shots. She's better when she's drunk."

The Swiss swore under his breath as he found their room. "Ava stay still and don't fall over." Her arm dropped from him as he tried to unlock the door.

The blonde's head drooped and fell to rest on the Shield members shoulder, her giggles continuing. "I want more shots, Ambrose."

"Next time."

Jon's arm was wrapped around her waist, concentrating on keeping her upright.

"But no Jager, I hate that shit."

"I'll remember that."

"It makes me gag. I don't like it."

"We can always work on that gag reflex of yours—" Claudio shot the young Ohian a stern look. Neville's laugh grew louder.

"Get her inside before I hit you, Good."

The blonde ignored the squabbling men and continued on her thoughts. Claudio gestured to the open door with his head. "I like tequila though." He made a gruff agreeable sound in his throat as she swayed walking through the room. "You know what they say about tequila?"

"What, pet?" Neville spoke up, finding this all too amusing.

"Tequila makes your clothes come off." Her giggles quickly turned into a loud laugh as Claudio shook his head.

"I suddenly like tequila even more."

Claudio shot Jon another look. "No, you don't." Walking the blonde over to one of the two double beds, the two men dropped her onto it and pulled the covers over her. "You can explain to Colby in the morning why Ava's too drunk to help move things or even drive her own car."

"Not my fault she lost the bet."

**A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed, it means a lot to hear you're enjoying the story so far! I got big plans coming your way! Let me know your thoughts in a quick little review, they make me smile loads :) and write faster!**


	6. Roll the Dice

"I feel like ass." Dropping her head to the table, she whined out. Sat across from her, Jon smirked to himself and couldn't help the chuckle that followed. Her head rose with a glare as she looked right at him. "This is all your fault."

"Nope, I can't take all the credit for this, sunshine."

"You-"

"You were the one who lost the bet. In fact, you even started the bet." His smirk grew wider and equally more infuriating.

Growling low in her chest, Ava slumped in her chair with a frown. "Shut up. Your voice is giving me a migraine."

"Children." Claudio called out between them, taking a sip of his coffee. He hid his grimace well, the coffee tasted just as bad as Ava felt. "Can we just eat in peace?"

"Unless I vomit, sure." Shrugging, she perked up when she spotted food in the distance. "Where is Colby and Jess, anyway?" Sadly, the food wasn't theirs.

"You mean where is Kevin?" Neville raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, where is the fluffy dog that will make all my pains go away?"

"I know something else that will make your pain go away." Jon joked, getting sniggers out of the British and Swiss men. Claudio contained his laughter quickly, clearing his throat.

"You just make my pain worse."

"At first but—"

"Hey, hey, hey, they're here and you two be quiet."

Ava wanted to wipe that smirk off the Ohioan face but it seemed like a permanent fixture, as if someone had super glued it in place. His messy hair fell over his eyes, with a beanie pulled over the top. She could feel his blue eyes burning a hole into her, never moving, even when she reached for the bounding small dog.

Cradling him close to her chest, "I feel better already." Kevin looked up, licking her chin before settling down her arms.

"Nice to see you too, A." Colby muttered as he took the seat next to Jon, while Jess sat next to the blonde. She seemingly ignored the older man as he placed his and Jess' order. "What'd you guys get up to last night then?"

"Jon got me drunk."

"She lost a bet."

"You cheated."

"You cheated first, sunshine."

"I did not."

"She also drank my beer."

"You poisoned me with shots and Jegermeister." A shudder ran through her body as she remembered the drinking the shots, after was where it got fuzzy. The European wrestlers beside her laughed at their banter, but stilled when she turned sharply to them. "And you two left me with him!"

"We weren't gonna turn away a couple of lasses, were we?"

Frowning, she slumped back; Kevin curled up in her lap. "I trust none of you." Jon's smirk grew into a grin, one that Jess noticed immediately. She rarely saw the young man smile this often. The brunette had known him since Colby had started at FCW; she knew how close they were. But she hadn't once seen him with a steady woman. Sparing a glance to Ava beside her, she scratched Kevin behind the ears, seeing the blonde flit her eyes back to Jon every now and then. She couldn't help the smile that touched her lips.

"Food!" Neville called out, drawing the attention of the entire diner to him.

Slyly tucking Kevin under the table, Ava made sure to keep him out of sight of the waitress. Mindless chatter took over as they all devoured their food. The blonde snuck a piece of bacon to Kevin at the end as a reward for being quiet and well behaved. She ignored the glare that Colby sent her.

"So another 5 hours driving and then—"

"We can sleep?"

Ignoring the Ohioan, Colby continued. "—we can unpack the essentials and eat some food."

"What's the address again?"

Putting the details into their phones, they quickly paid the bill and left the diner with full stomachs and a slightly recovered Ava. Walking back to the motel and their cars, they had already packed up before breakfast to save time. Ava pushed Jon aside and sidled up at her friend. "Claaaaaud?" Looping her arm through his, she pressed her cheek into his sweatshirt covered bicep.

"Yes, hübsches?"

"Can you drive please?"

"It's my turn to drive the van."

"I'm not driving the van though." Jon slung his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

She gave him a look before opening her eyes wider up at Claudio. "He's not a safe driver, Claud."

"How do you know?"

"I hear things."

"I'm a perfectly safe driver, sunshine." Giving her a wink, he swiped her car keys. "Just watch." His eyes lit up as he strode towards the flatbed Ford truck.

"Go on." Claudio nodded to where the Ohioan was settling into the front seat. The hungover blonde shot him a glare before slinking off to where her perfectly undamaged car sat. She wondered how long it would stay like that with Jon Good driving it. She couldn't argue though, she was in no shape to drive 5 hours right now.

"You crash it, you pay for it."

"What? You don't have any faith in me, sunshine?" Smirking, he slipped the car out of the parking spot and onto the road.

"Nope, none." Slipping her sunglasses over her eyes, she reached for her bottle of water and took a glug before screwing the cap on. The blonde reached forward to turn the radio back on and find the closest country station.

"I never pegged you for country."

"I'm full of surprises."

"No fake boob surprises though."

"Why would I need to?" She turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. "There's still a good handful there." She mocked his voice and he chuckled under his breath.

"I'm sure one day I'll find out if I was right or not." He quipped and her mouth dropped open.

"No, you won't."

He didn't reply, instead he simply let his smirk do the talking as he rested one arm on the open window.

Watching him out of the side of her eye, she settled into her seat, curling her legs under herself. "Wake me when you wanna switch." She didn't hear him reply, just the sound of him softly humming along to the radio, before her eyes slipped shut and sleep took her. With a full stomach and a hungover body, she knew she would sleep easy. However much it bugged her that someone she didn't know that well was driving her only prized possession.

* * *

Sunlight pierced through her eye lids. She could feel it burning into her. Moaning, she turned round in her seat. "Why is it so fucking cold?" Grumbling, she peeled her eyes open to see the same smirk on Jon's mouth and the window wide open. "Stop smirking. Is that all you do?"

"What can I say? I guess you bring out the ass in me."

Rolling her eyes, she reached for her water to soothe her ever-drying mouth. Alcohol still had the same effect on her these days like it did years ago when she had her first taste. Except this time, she avoided taking her clothes off after drinking Tequila. She had to consider that a huge improvement. Shrugging, she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

"You wanna switch?"

"Nah, it's cool." He mumbled. "There's only an hour left."

"You sure?" He nodded, before checking his pockets in his jacket.

She watched the frown mar his features, his eyes squinting. "You lost something?"

"My ciggs. You mind?"

"Mind, what?"

"I can't reach them. They're in my front pocket."

"You think you can smoke in my car?"

"Can I?"

"Well, you've made me cold already with that damn window open." She rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh before leaning over the middle console, reaching for his pocket. She rested one hand on the back of his chair, as she other reached into the front pocket of his jeans.

Ava never saw the smirk that played on his mouth, pulling up the corner of his lips. He fought back the grin as her hand searched. "Easy tiger."

She grumbled, feeling the edges of the box. "Shut up." He lifted his hips up slightly and she pulled the packet of cigarettes successfully. "There." Pressing the packet into his chest, their fingers grazed as he took it from her.

"You enjoy that?"

Sitting back in her seat, she finally saw the smirk on his lips. "You ass. You did that on purpose?" The blonde socked him in the arm, as he chuckled loudly. "Should've just thrown them out the damn window."

"Now that wouldn't have been very nice now, would it?"

"Who said I was a nice person?"

Not answering, he shrugged and popped a lone cigarette between his lips. "Call it a gut feeling." He lit it and took a long first puff, blowing the smoke out the open window. He could feel her eyes burning into him now, scrutinising him closely. Ava eventually leaned back, her bright eyes occasionally flitting back to him. "So what's your story, sunshine?"

"I like tequila, pizza, getting beaten at pool and wrestling. There's not much to me really."

"Still bitter about that, huh?"

"What made you think that?" Shooting him a look, he smirked again and Ava decided she hated and liked it all at the same time. "What about you?"

"I like beer and wrestling. Beating girls at pool is just another trick to my trade."

"Got a lot of tricks then?"

His smirk turned into a grin. "Roll the dice and find out." He turned his blue eyes on her and she sucked in a breath. "Or make another bet with me."

"I bet if you don't keep your eyes on the road, you'll crash my nice car." Taking another puff, Jon turned his eyes back to the road ahead, like she asked.

"I'd prefer a different kind of bet. One that involves more tequila and beer."

"You're not getting me drunk again."

Shooting him a look, Ava pulled her sweatshirt over her head to keep her warm. They soon settled into a comfortable silence, just the sound of country music filling the car as the breeze grew colder. The Midwest was always cold and wet, but still not as wet and miserable as Washington; she didn't miss the rain one bit. Or the state for that matter.

"Thinking that hard must hurt that head of yours, sunshine." Jon quipped but the blonde ignored the dig.

"Do you ever miss Ohio?"

Chuckling, he answered. "You're getting personal now?"

"Do you?"

He noticed how she seemed void of any humour anymore, her face stoic and thoughtful as she stared out of the window. "Nah, not really. I miss the people, I guess."

She didn't miss the state or the people. Well, some people she did. But most just brought back sour memories with them. Her eyes continued to track the other cars on the road, as they entered Colby's hometown. He was so eager to move back to his and start a life with Jess here, that it made her miss ever having that feeling. That pull of the comfortable and familiar; it never existed to Ava.

"I don't miss Seattle."

"Don't blame you." Jon rattled on about the cold and the wet; she had heard it all before from visitors to her home state.

Ava zoned out, his voice fading away as her eyes stayed glued to the cars. Memories of Seattle flooding her. She didn't know why she felt compelled to ask Jon these questions, to hear his opinions. But she did, her mouth moving faster than her brain could keep up.

A squeeze on her leg brought her back. Shaking her head, she blinked and turned to look down at Jon's hand that rested on her thigh. "What are you doing?"

"You spaced out on me, I'm totally here spilling all my heartfelt feelings to you and you ignored me."

Shooting the man a look, Ava cocked her head. "Bullshit were you." The smirk reappeared on his lips and she socked him in the shoulder again, as he chuckled. "You're such an ass."

Entering the simple, suburban neighbourhood, Jon spared a look to the blonde beside him and saw the envy in her eyes. It was clear as day as she looked out onto everyone's front lawn and white picket fence. There was more than meets the eye with her, an untold history that she kept buried beneath the surface.

He wanted to find out more. He just needed to find a way to coax it out of her.

Or maybe he just needed a bottle of tequila.

**A/N: Will Jon get her a drunk again? Hmm I wonder… I'm excited we're getting closer to the start of the chunky bit of this story. It's gonna get good, just stick with me :) Thanks for all your lovely reviews and for favouriting/alerting the story!**


	7. Whiskey

"That's the last of it."

The only reply Colby received was the collective groans from the sofas. They had all managed to drape themselves across a piece of the cushioned sofa that felt like clouds after all their heavy lifting.

Wrestlers they were, but movers, they were not.

"I want pizza."

"Yes! Pizza sounds good."

"Can we get pizza?"

"Stuffed crust?"

"Oh and garlic bread?"

"and chicken wings!"

"And a side of coleslaw?"

Rolling his eyes, Colby grabbed the menu and threw it in the direction of the sofas. "You guys are expensive to keep."

"We helped you out of the goodness of our hearts!" Ava shot him a hurt look, a hand clutching at her chest. "Plus Jess said you'd feed us at the end." She muttered, trying to get Kevin's attention as he ran around the living room.

The two toned wrestler shot his girlfriend a look, his eyebrows raised.

"I think I'll take a BBQ pizza." She missed the look at was shot at her and locked eyes with the blonde. "Wanna share?"

"My favourite. Yes!"

An evening of filling their stomachs with all the carbs and chicken imaginable followed, with hardly any of them moving from their spots on the sofa. No one even made a dig at Colby for having an extra cheat day. As the two new homeowners disappeared to put their bed together, he called out behind him. "There's only one blow up bed! Fight between yourselves!"

"I call a sofa!" Ava called out quickly before anyone could speak. She was not moving from her cocooned position on one of the smaller sofas. Pillows supported her every curve and she couldn't move, she refused to. That and she had eaten too much and feared she would have to be rolled off the sofa to actually move.

"Sunshine, you're small and that sofa could easily take one of us."

"I'm not moving." She held his stare, clutching the blanket tightly around her body. "There's two other sofas and a blow up bed."

"Sofa!" Claudio and Neville shouted.

Clenching his jaw, Jon turned back to fix the blonde with a glare.

"Start blowing." She smirked, sinking back against the cushions.

"Sure you don't wanna help a guy out and blow it for me?" he smirked and watched as her mouth drop open in shock. "Nearly there..."

Claudio shoved a sniggering Jon in the back, making him stumble. "Blow it up yourself."

"And be quiet, I'm trying to sleep." The Geordie accent rang out through the room, muffled with sleep.

"Asshole."

The last thing Ava saw before she closed her eyes to let sleep take her was Jon picking up the blow up bed. A smirk touched her lips as her eyes became heavy.

* * *

Cramp.

Moaning, she squirmed on the sofa and turned but the flare of spasms spread up her back and she flinched. Back arching off the cushions, Ava rose and squinted her eyes in the darkness.

Her training session the other day at NXT had been more intense than she thought. In the middle of experimenting with different high flying moves with Paige, she had gone down hard. The move looked perfect and in the moment, that was all she cared about. But her back had always been riddled with problems. Wrestling for years on end would do that to you.

Sitting up and stretching, she rose to her feet and was happy she decided to change out of her denim shorts and into sweatpants. She didn't need to add cutting off her blood circulation to her list of problems.

Cursing silently, she shuffled into the kitchen, refusing to turn the lights on and blind herself by the intense light. Squinting, she opened the fridge and then closed it again after she remembered Colby and Jess hadn't done any food shopping yet.

"Cups..." She knew she saw Jess putting them away somewhere. A twinge shot up her spine and she whined as quietly as she could. She had slept in worse places before, much much worse but she still missed her bed. The sofa didn't help her in the slightest.

Reaching up for the cupboard handle and another twinge was felt. Gasping, she reached behind her to try and locate the pain. It was too varied, spasming up and down her spine. Twisting to the side, she felt a creak and a crack and hoped that had fixed it but was quickly silenced when another twinge was felt. Biting through it, she finally reached a cup and filled it up with water and down a couple of pain pills before another twinge could distract her.

Pressing her palms into the black work surface, she sighed and hoped they would start to take effect soon. But until then, she wasn't sleeping.

An idea sparking in her mind, she looked up and began to open more cupboards quietly. "whiskey... whiskey... whiskey..."

The kitchen had too many cupboards. Too many spots to hide away the hard liquors.

Frowning at another twinge, she leant over and continued her hunt.

But that was stopped when a blinding light hit her eyes and squinted back the pain. "Fuck." Moaning, she looked up to find the source. The devil was clearly disapproving of her decision. Who else could be this cruel?

Her eyes found the restless figure of Jon Good and she frowned even harder. Yep, definitely the devil.

"What the fuck was that for?"

"I heard whiskey." She gave him a quizzical look. "I couldn't sleep on the damn blow up bed anyway."

"Can you at least turn off that damn bright light?"

Smirking, he did as she asked surprisingly before turning on the hidden lights underneath the cupboards. He then went on to pull out another glass.

Turning, she slumped down to her knees and opened more cupboards. "He put it smewhere around here." Mumbling, she ignored the twinges as they spread and continued to slide around on their tiled floors. "Somewhere here...ish."

"Ish?"

"Well I don't know the exact spot, but it was around here."

"Ish?" Turning slowly, the blonde fixed him with a glare. "Nice hair by the way." She lifted her hand hesitantly and knew it wasn't pretty when she felt the birds nest of blonde locks. "Makes you look like you've just been fucked. Against a hedge." He sniggered, a smirk lingering on his lips.

"That's would've been a first." She muttered, tugging the hair elastic out of her hair and trying to untangle her hair. Returning to her hunt, she opened the final cupboard and pushed aside several decorative items before she spotted a bottle of whiskey at the back. "Aha!" Raising the bottle in the air, she made to get out but when she twisted, a sharp twinge shot up her back and she moaned out, biting down on her lip.

Seeing her wobble, Jon took a step forward and caught her wrist. "Y'alright?" She gritted her teeth, nodding. He took the bottle of whiskey from her grasp. "If this is the only bottle, you can't drop this."

Fixing him a glare, she just stared. "Can you help me up now that you've saved the bottle first?"

Rolling his eyes, he pulled her up, watching her face closely as she squeezed her eyes shut, pain written across her face.

"The other day with Paige, we were trying out some different moves." Breathing out, she twisted her back and tried to get rid of the spasm. She reached for the bottle and poured them each two fingers of whiskey. Ava took a glug and Jon's eyes opened a touch wider. "I just hope this numbs the pain."

Taking a sip, the Shield member savoured the taste before stepping behind the blonde.

Her head shot up when she felt large hands on her shoulders, "What are you doing?"

"Just shut up for two minutes."

She frowned, her palms resting on the surface in front of her. Then she felt it. His fingers and thumbs pressed into her spine, working downwards, and she spasmed forward, whining. Strong hands kept kneading into her muscles as she relaxed, her shoulders slumping and soon her whines turned into soft moans.

Ava felt his thumbs dig in, but not too hard; it was the perfect pressure to ease the spasming. "There." She flinched when she felt his other hand knead the flesh, the pressure building and then the muscles relaxing. "God, I might just keep you around just for your hands."

He heard her mumblings loud and clear, "I do have other uses, y'know."

She never noticed how rough his voice sounded before, it was like gravel coated in honey. Her eyes opened wider as she felt his hands massage further down her back. His fingers wrapped around her waist as his thumbs continued to knead into her lower back.

It'd been so long that she had been this close to a man; she had forgotten how it felt. Since the rocky ending of her first and last relationship, there had been a void that she had tried to patch up as best she could. But Jon's hands working into her only made her realise how much she missed this contact with another person.

Biting back a moan, she tried not to show him how much she was enjoying this. Although he probably knew already.

"You enjoying this?"

She heard his stifled laughter and launched a fist back to meet his thigh. "Shut up."

"You just need to see physio at the Performance Center. Sure they have one in that fancy ol' center."

"Y-eah." Her words tailed off into a small moan. His fingers had returned to the same spot earlier where the spasms were rooted. "Mmm." Her eyes drifted shut as the pleasure took over from the pain.

Biting back a smile, Jon couldn't help but let his eyes glide over her relaxed body. The curve of her spine, her body soft as his hands worked up and down in rhythmic patterns. Warmth radiated off her in waves. Or was it him that was hot?

Blue eyes found her round backside, the result of many squat exercises, and as her small moans filled the kitchen, he felt his own body twitch. Squeezing his eyes shut, he cursed under his breath.

It was like he was a teenager all over again. Getting excited to touch a woman...

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to think of something other than her backside and how it was only a few inches from meeting his crotch. He was a few inches away from grinding into her and feeling her up. A few inches from showing her some of his other uses. Just a few inches...

His hands squeezed around her and he stilled, feeling more twitches under his sweatpants. Cursing again, he retracted his hands.

"Why'd you stop?" She whined, craning her neck around to fix him with a look.

He blinked, his head swimming with visions of her naked, bent over a surface as he drove into her. Her eyes glancing back at him, burning into him, her moans filling the room. His fist wrapping around her blonde locks of hair and tugging as–

"Ambrose?"

Blinking again, he saw she was now stood up facing him. "Whiskey."

Reaching for his glass, she passed it to him and saw as he gulped it all down. "Wow."

Shrugging, he poured himself another. "Thirsty."

"Yeah, th-that too."

He shot her a quizzical look, before seeing her glance down at his crotch. His foggy blue eyes found the proud tent and he quickly readjusted himself. "Shit."

"You enjoyed that too it seems. Maybe a bit too much."

The mop of dirty blonde hair that covered his head flicked into his eyes, but he was too busy cursing the boner that showed no signs of leaving.

"You need some help with that?" Sending him a smirk, she sipped on her whiskey. Shaking his head, he muttered something under his breath.

Her back felt relaxed, with no spasms crippling her movements. Flexing her spine, she leant back against the kitchen surface, flashing a sliver of skin underneath her NXT t-shirt she wore.

Jon caught sight of the skin immediately and took another gulp. "That doesn't help."

"What?" She wore an innocent look, sipping on her drink.

Growling, he downed the rest of the whiskey and mentally debated whether to go for another or not.

"Thanks... for that. Not that." She pointed at his crotch. "I'm more sorry about that." Stifling a laugh, she downed the rest of her drink and ignored his glare.

"Well, this" He pointed, "is your fault."

Raising her hands in the air, she feigned innocence with a sweet smile. "Whoops." She took one step closer, "well if we've learnt one thing from this, it's that you're not so much an ass when you've got a hard on."

Patting him on the chest, she made to move past him but was stopped by his arm blocking her exit. "Thought you were gonna help me out?" He spoke close to her ear and she felt her body give an involuntary shiver. He felt it roll through her body and smirked in triumph.

Her warm eyes turned on him, glancing down before meeting his stare with a smile. "Maybe next time." She ducked under his arm and went back to her cocoon on the sofa.

Jon's eyes followed her to the sofa, she didn't once look back at him. But that didn't stop the naked visions he had of her. He could still see her bright eyes burning into him, her hands grabbing at flesh and fixing his hard on, one round at a time.

"Fuck." He cursed again, looking down to find a stain on the front of his sweatpants now. Cursing his way up the stairs as his boner throbbed between his legs. Jon quickly found the shower and turned it to cold before jumping in and fixing the problem himself.

His mind repeated what she had said ... _next time_.

He would hold her to that.

**A/N: Quick thank you to all you wonderful, wonderful people for reviewing this little story of mine :) the reviews are like tiny bursts of happiness in my inbox! Things are beginning to pick up now.. I promise! **


	8. Time for the Chop

The Performance Center was a hum of excitement on Wednesday morning. Word of Triple H appearing spread fast and Ava noticed the change in everyone's demeanour. They were on edge, on their best behaviour and most surprisingly, on time.

Wrapping her body around the British wrestler, she pulled back and stretched the small woman's body. "I'm not gonna tap, love." The Brit muttered out.

Growling, Ava released and hit Paige with a drop kick before she could realise what was happening.

"I don't think I've ever tapped out to you."

"Neither have I for you."

"Too stubborn, that's what it is."

"Maybe." Ava shrugged, as they rounded each other. They quickly locked up, twisting and turning as they went.

"You wanna go for drinks tonight?"

"Add in some food and I'm game."

Paige knocked the wind out of her with a kick and was brought to her knees. "Burgers?" Bouncing off the ropes, she hit her with a dropkick of her own.

"Oh now you're talking." Ava smirked before kicking up from her back and landing on her feet.

"Good, because Renee and Summer are already coming along too."

"That sounds messy." Paige's laugh resounded through the ring, raising a few glances from those surrounding.

"Summer's drinks are limited, don't worry."

"Good, because we don't need a repeat of last time with the dancing on tables and then karaoke."

"Like bloody cats dying." Paige quipped, rolling up the blonde for a pin, who proceeded to kick out at 2.

"Ava!" The two women looked over to see Regal beckoning her over. "You're up, poppet."

"We'll turn tonight into a pity party if Hunter fires you."

Smacking Paige over the head, she slid out the ring and straightened her NXT t-shirt. "Is it bad?" Regal simply smiled at her, nodding her in the room.

He followed in after her, and she swallowed back her fear when she saw it would just be the three of them.

"Ava! Good to see you again." Giving her hand a solid handshake, Ava smiled over at him before dropping down into the seat in front of the desk.

"Good to see you too, sir."

"How's training go for you today?"

The blonde spared a glance a Regal. "It's going really well. Paige and I are working on some new moves for her to incorporate into her feud with Emma."

A slight smile pulled Hunter's mouth up and she took that as a good sign. Or was she seeing things?

"That's good." Nope, wasn't seeing things. That was now a fully fledged smile and a big nod. "I know you must be feeling a bit frustrated that you haven't been scheduled for any matches on TV as of yet." Well, Ava felt more pissed off than frustrated. "But it's for a reason." Oh boy. "We've got a storyline in the works that involves you."

Her eyes lit up and Regal chuckled beside her. "Okay."

"No details as of yet, but it involves putting you with a team. We just need to work out the details and then you'll know. But what we do know, is that you'll be going through a character change. We want to try something new and fresh with your image."

"Sure."

"Told you she wouldn't mind." Regal quipped.

"How attached to your hair are you?"

Ava hesitated, "Uh, not really? I mean, it's just hair, it'll grow back." She fingered the tips of her long wavy blonde hair that was now swept up into a ponytail.

Hunter smirks. "We want you to stand out, look different, but also fit in with what we've got planned."

"What have you got planned?"

Hunter chuckled, "You'll have to wait and see. If you go in now, your long blonde hair will just blend in with Summer and Natalya. I want you to stand out from the other girls. We were thinking a chop above the shoulders, touch blonder, but still natural looking. The image we'll be going with is sinister but innocent."

"Okay?" Thoughts were running through her head about what they had planned. Sinister but innocent...

"How do you feel about that?"

"Good." She smiles. "So when do I find out about—"

"Patience." The corner of Hunter's mouth quirked up but she had faith in him. "When we know for sure, you'll know." He spared a look at Regal, "Could you grab Bray for me next, please?" The British man nodded before exiting the room briskly. "This is gonna be your big shot, kid. We're gonna get you to the big time."

She beamed brightly at him, unable to contain it. "I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't. I'm pulling for you here. If I have my way with Vince, you and this team are gonna be the next big thing to rock the roster. Until then, go schedule a time for your chop with the stylists, I've given them a brief of the look we're going with. They'll be expecting you."

"Thank you." Shaking his hand once more, she almost skipped out the door, shooting Bray a big grin on the way out. "I didn't get fired!" She piped up as he chuckled after her.

* * *

"What do you think?"

Swivelling around on the chair, she had resisted looking for the near 3 hours she had been in the chair. Looking into the large mirror, she felt the smile appear on her face before she could stop it. Renee peered over one of her shoulders. She was the real life heart eyed emoji. Her bright eyes lit up, her mouth moving before Ava could answer the stylist. "I love it!"

Almost a week after her discussion with Hunter over her new image and her long wavy locks were gone, what was left was a long blonde bob. Not platinum like Summer, she had specifically requested natural blonde, so instead only went one shade lighter than her current colour. She couldn't even tell it was dyed. It was styled with her natural waves, framing her face with a middle parting.

It definitely gave her the innocent look Hunter had wanted.

She looked at Renee's longer blonde locks and then back to hers. They had a similar hair cut, except Renee was a lot blonder than her. But this new cut was quickly growing on her. It seemed to be growing on Renee too as she spoke to her stylist animatedly.

"I love it, it's perfect. Thank you." Ava beamed up at the stylist. She quickly recommended a few products to look after it well. She quickly took a few photos to email to Hunter before the stylist slipped away. Ava turned to Renee with a smirk, "You copycat." The announcers was stood in the mirror, lifting her locks higher to see what it would look like on herself.

"What? It looks hot! I want it!"

"We can't be twins when we both make it to TV."

"Oh girl, I'll be on NXT for a while until I get to that announcers table."

"Baby steps. You could be interviewing Randy Orton backstage by the end of the year."

"Wanna bet?"

"I do actually."

"Okay, dinner and drinks. The loser pays."

"Dinner and drinks, is that it? You really are a cheap date." Ava quipped.

"I never said where. I could mean dinner at the Ritz!"

"Or Hooters."

"I do love me some beer and BBQ boneless chicken wings."

"Don't we all." Ava hummed, a content smile on her face. Sharing a laugh, she instinctively reached to touch her freshly chopped locks. The wrestler had already requested that what had been chopped would be donated, the stylist already knowing a charity.

Biting down on her lip, Renee whisked Ava away to show off her new locks to anyone still in the building. All the while, she couldn't help but think; maybe this was the change she had needed all along.

* * *

"Get in the car, loser!" Paige shouted from the window of her car. Her hat flipped backwards and sunglasses covering her eyes.

Ava locked her apartment door behind her and descended the steps down from the first floor. Her newly chopped blonde locks on full display as she approached the car. "I swear my neighbours must hate you." Pulling a face at the Brit, she clambered into the car next to Summer, directly behind Renee. They had been taking turns to pick everyone up since they all banded together at NXT. Paige had dubbed them the blonde squad before declaring herself an honorary brunette member.

"Oh, no, wait there pretty lady. What ya got there?"

Ava looked down at herself, she was wearing an NXT shirt and Nike leggings, hardly special. Looking back up at the brunette with a raised brow, "Nothing, you weirdo."

Paige reached back and fluffed at her hair. "Your hair, you sausage."

"Oh yeah." She beamed. "Got it cut a couple days ago. They're working on a new storyline that needs me to have an image change. You can drive and talk, right?"

"Whatever, you smart arse." Paige scoffed and took off for the Performance Center. "There goes your compliment."

"Because you're full of those, aren't you?" She shot back at the young wrestler, who in turn made a loud, drawn out noise in response.

"Do you know when they're moving you up yet?" Renee asked, turning around fully in her chair.

"Not yet, they're just trying to plan it out so far, nothing major is happening yet."

"Good, because why would you want to leave us?!" Paige jumped in.

"Exactly, why would I want to leave you, my sweet darling little cherub?" Ava shot the brunette a stony look.

"Whatever, your hair looks pants."

Ava burst out laughing, while the Canadian in the front seat turned up the radio. She hoped and prayed this was a fresh start with her.

With no matches or appearances planned, she was set for a clean slate in the WWE. She had no clue when she'd next have the chance to wrestle on NXT or even make it to the main roster. She hadn't heard from Hunter or any of the creative higher ups about the pending storyline.

Which could be a good or bad sign. She hoped good news, anyone would. It had been two long years for her in development, where she had spent some time in limbo when they had made the switch from FCW. She had come on leaps and bounds in those two years, with the guidance of Dusty and Regal.

Regal had taken a shine to her when she first stepped through the doors of FCW and had been there to subtly guide her ever since.

It all came down to this storyline, the one that could make or break her, the one that could propel her onto TV or throw her back down the ladder... the one that could change her career.

Resting back into the seat, she saw the entrance for the Performance Center as Paige pulled into a parking spot. The blonde would miss this place; it had been a good home to her over the years. The home she had always wanted.

But her feet were itching to get moving to the big stage. It was time.

**A/N: Just want to mention that way back when I began planning this fic, Renee still had long hair and I wanted Ava to be different with short hair. Weeell, then Renee went and got her hair cut in that cute bob. But I'm still sticking to this image for her because I had it planned from the start. **

**This is a filler chap, yes, but Jon will be back in the next chapter, don't you worry my pretties ;) Thank you to everyone for being awesome and reviewing, I love hearing what you guys think! **


	9. Oh, Sister of Mine

Stephanie McMahon marched into Hunter's office in Connecticut with a triumphant smile on her face. "You're gonna love me for this." Hunter simply raised a brow, this could either be good news and bad news. He never knew with Steph sometimes. "This storyline you've got planned for Ava. I think it's missing a trick."

"Oh, really? You're getting invested in this storyline now?"

"When I know how quickly they'll be up on the main roster, yes. I know you're planning promos with her in them and trying to fit her into their current storylines—"

"She hasn't even debuted yet, Steph, or even with them. We're still working out her character details—"

"I know, I know, I know. Stop cutting me off." He gave her a comical look, one she glared back at. "Just watch this." The McMahon turned her phone to Hunter as she pressed play.

The video was shot from the back seat of a car, showing Ava driving, with her newly chopped blonde locks blowing in the wind, and a dark haired Paige beside her, the latter was head banging with a hat on backwards. The two stilled when the chorus of the song hit.

"_Oh my lord, take this soul, lay me at the bottom of the river." _Ava sang along as she cruised along the streets of Orlando, her voice soft and gentle. In the background of the song were young voices singing along with Ava and her voices melted perfectly in with them.

Hunter's mind was whirring as Stephanie's smile grew into a grin.

"_The devil has come to carry me home, lay me at the bottom..." _

The two stilled, sitting at a red light, the song slowed down before Paige belted out, _"the bottom of the..." _Guitar riffs and drums took over the video as the pair were head banging together before being beeped from the car behind them for missing the green light.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

A smirk crossed the King of Kings face. "That we've got ourselves one sinister, singing Sister Abigail? It'll definitely add an edge to the promos."

"And?"

"And you're very resourceful."

"And?"

Hunter shook his head. "And I love you, now get outta here. I got a few calls to make."

* * *

"I'm getting called up!" The screech was loud and resounding in the make up area, just outside the women's locker room at NXT. Ava and Paige turned to see Renee bouncing on the balls of her feet, a wide grin fixed on her face.

The women bombarded her with celebrations, her smile contagious. "What, when?!"

"Next week! On SmackDown, I'll be interviewing Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus." The blonde could not stop smiling. "And I'll be at WrestleMania to help with hosting and interviewing duties too!"

"Congrats, dude." Paige squeezed her shoulder.

"You know what this means, right?!" Ava beamed at her.

Renee furrowed her brow. "What?"

"You owe me dinner and drinks."

The confused look disappeared and a glare was in its place. "Fine, pick the most expensive place, yada yada yada."

Ava shot her a look. "Girl, I want beer and chicken wings. Maybe a milkshake or waffles. Oh, if we could find somewhere with churros that'd be great too."

"Can I get in on this too?" Paige asked silently. "Call it a celebration night?"

"That I'm paying for?"

"Well, we did make a bet and you... you kinda lost that bet." Ava bit back a smile.

Rolling her eyes, Renee relented. "It's fine because I made it to TV so you can't go bursting my bubble with a damn chicken wing."

"A _barbeque_ chicken wing." Ava muttered before squeezing her friend. "Seriously though, I'm proud of you, blondie. We knew you could do it."

"Now it's just you guys and Summer left to get bumped up."

"Don't hold your breath." Paige grumbled.

Ava nudged the Brit. "We'll be at Wrestle Mania though, you can interview us on our good sides."

"Still nothing about that storyline?"

"Nope, I mean Regal and I are constantly working on promos, but they won't really tell me anything solid. Not even who it's with or anything. So I guess they don't want me to get too invested in case it fails?" Shrugging, the threesome began slowly walking down to the ring in Full Sail.

"If Regal's working with you on promos that often though, that's something, love." Paige tried to boost the morale and Ava offered her a small smile.

"Yeah, and it's good times with Regal, he's a good teacher."

"I think you'll find I'm a wonderful teacher, Miss Wilson."

The women turned at the voice of the wrestler. A smile appeared on the short haired blonde, "My mistake there, Regal. You are the best teacher I could ask for. How's that?"

"Better. But next time, less sarcasm." He shot back. "Now come along, poppet, I've got some news for you."

"Sorry, you're fired."

Ava smacked the British diva with the back of her hand. "Shut up." The Seattle native followed behind William Regal as he led the way to his office and away from the prying ear of the two women.

"Am I really being fired?"

She relaxed at his laugh. "No." Opening the door, she slid inside and he sat in the chair next to her. "I wanted to give you the good news and bad news."

"Oh boy."

"The bad news is that although this storyline is cemented as of this morning by Hunter, you won't be on NXT again." She frowned, not understanding clearly. "The stable you will be part of has already debuted here and you won't be joining them until after they've debuted on RAW."

"What's the stable?"

"The Wyatt Family." He watched as her eyes lit up and a smile pulled her lips up, around her pearly whites.

"Am I...?"

"You are Sister Abigail." He nodded, a proud smile on his face. "The plan is to have them debut on RAW sometime in the summer and have a build up to your reveal as the ringleader, influencer."

"How is this bad news?"

He made a face. "I don't know how long it will be until you are wrestling. I know how you practically live your life in that ring, so I don't want you to be disheartened by all of this."

"Oh."

"I'm trying my best to persuade Hunter and Vince to give you a wrestling role, but as of right now, it's not fitting into the storyline, I'm afraid, poppet."

She nodded slowly, "That's fine. I mean, I can still wrestle before shows? Just won't be on TV for a while." She forced a smile, one that Regal saw straight through.

Over the two years she had been here, he had been able to read her like an open book. He knew how much she loved being in that 20 by 20 ring. She lived her life between those ropes. It would be a difficult adjustment for her to not be wrestling on a regular basis.

"I'll get you in that ring, don't you worry."

"I know you will." She smiled brighter, she knew he wouldn't fail her. William Regal had always been her number one supporter since she arrived in NXT and he hadn't failed her yet.

There was a knock at the office door, Regal patted her leg before opening the door to see the hulking figures of the Wyatt Family. "You wanted to see us?" Bray flashed a friendly smile to Ava.

"Yes, grab a chair, lads, we've got lots to talk about."

* * *

"Galina wants a second child."

The two men opposite the Samoan stilled, looking over to him with their food hovering before their mouths. "Really?"

Joe nodded, taking a gulp of his beer. "I told her now probably wasn't the best time, plus I'm still waiting to propose."

"Man, you've been carrying that ring around since we came on the road." Colby stressed, shovelling in his dinner. They had come by the bar for a few drinks and a late night dinner after RAW and like always, the conversation had turned to women.

"Next time you're home, just do it." Jon made the decision sound so simple and easy.

"Really?" Joe shot a look at the man. "You're giving me advice on proposing?"

The Shield member looked up from his burger, which Colby had frowned on him ordering. "What?"

"Call me when you have a girl longer than a week, then you can offer me advice."

Growling, he threw a French fry at him. "Fuck off. I have life experience!"

"In what?"

"Women!"

Joe chuckled, "not the kind of advice I want, man."

"Suit yourself." Shrugging, he waved the waitress over and ordered another round of beers. They had taken a short walk from the hotel, no one was driving, might as well enjoy the night. His eyes followed the blonde woman's backside as she walked away, flicking him a look over her shoulder as she went.

"You ever think about settling down, Good?" The man in question made a face, avoiding Joe's question expertly. "You're not exactly getting any younger."

Jon looked mildly offended for a second before smirking. "I still get the ladies, I've still got it."

"But you don't exactly wanna be 30 and alone either." Colby made a point, digging into his steak.

"Hey, I've been alone all my life, I'm used to it."

"A woman would definitely ground him." Joe reasoned.

"Mature him too, maybe." The two wrestlers spoke about him, while Jon's eyes bounced back and forth between them, clearly being ignored.

"All he needs to do is take it seriously."

"He'd have to find someone who would put up with his ass though. That'd be hard enough."

"She'd need to be strong willed."

"Take no shit."

"Hard as nails."

"But someone to keep him on his toes."

"I'm right here." Jon spoke up again, failing to get their attention. Instead, he took a bigger mouthful of his burger.

"Yeah, challenge him a bit more than his regular type."

"He'd just have to not open his mouth and talk."

"That'd be the killswitch."

"You make me sound like an asshole."

"You are." Colby said, maybe a little too quickly. His Shield brother sent him a look.

"A grumpy one too."

Jon flipped them both off, before spying the waitress returning to the table with a swing in her hips and a smirk on her lips. "Here you go, gentlemen. Three ice cold beers."

"Thanks... Megan." Jon's eyes found her name tag and linger on her chest for a moment before his eyes flitted up to her meet hers.

"You're welcome, enjoy." She left a folded up piece of paper on the table before turning back to the bar. Plucking up the piece of paper between his fingers, he read her number and his eyes lit up, his face a picture of a smug man.

The two toned man rolled his eyes. "On second thought, I don't know who would even put up with you."

"You put up with me."

"Yeah... I don't know why though..." Colby concluded, sipping his beer thoughtfully.

**A/N:Surprise! I give you one Sister Abigail! It's always been a part of the Wyatt storyline I wish they had explored a bit more, which is why I'm so excited for all of this. What do you think?! Let me know with a lovely little review!**


	10. Promises, Promises, Promises

The past month and lead up to WrestleMania had gone by in a blank of an eye. Mornings were filled with training sessions with Paige, then a ridiculous gym work out courtesy of Sami Zayn, followed up with a private promo class with Regal and the Wyatts. She was tired but excited for all that was to come.

On Friday, there had been a select amount of wrestlers picked for matches at an NXT session at Axxess and Hunter stood by watching with a proud grin as the crowd cheered and chanted for the brand he had created.

The NXT roster had been given a signing stand and they were all surprised the huge turn out for the event at Axxess in New York and New Jersey. Ava's eyes were bright and the smile she wore was a permanent fixture, despite the ache in her hand and the pain in her cheeks.

This was what she had been waiting for all her life.

In previous years, as part of FCW, they had only briefly been included in small matches and allowed backstage for it. This year was different; it was the start of a new era for the NXT brand. They represented themselves, they made a name for themselves, they were stealing the show.

Ava had been under strict instruction from Hunter to answer any questions about her whereabouts by explaining she was out with a concussion and going through the rigorous medical procedures to determine when she'd be able to wrestle again. She had repeated the line time after time when fans had come up to her in the line of NXT superstars, Paige giving her a side look the first time she had said it.

News had soon spread through NXT backstage about Sister Abigail, the hum of excitement as they all asked when she'd debut or what her character would be like. She'd simply smile coyly and say "you'll have to wait and see".

When Saturday rolled around, her body ached but that didn't stop the Brit she was rooming with. Paige jumped across the gap in their beds and started bouncing on her. "It's Hall of Fame day!" The Brit grinned, her hair a mess, as Ava resigned herself that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep that day.

"Since when were you a morning person."

"I'm not! But WrestleMania is tomorrow!" She shouted so loudly that Ava knew next door would have heard her. She didn't think Neville would be too amused with his unique Paige alarm clock.

The one thing she hadn't got used to yet with short hair was that she could no longer through her locks up into a messy bun. She had tried, but the result was lots of her hair falling out of place and hanging down beside her face.

Settling for her hair down and hanging in her natural waves, Paige waited on her as she came out of the bathroom, fresh and changed into sports leggings and a muscle tee. "C'mon, we only have one last chance to go to the gym before WrestleMania tomorrow."

"You're not even on the card and it's like you've won the main event."

"Don't ruin my bubble." The Brit turned to her with a glare.

"I wouldn't dream of it, now move." Skipping along beside her, Ava fought to keep the smile off her lips. The British woman's mood was infectious. This was her first WrestleMania experience, even if she wasn't wrestling tomorrow, Paige's eyes would still be wide with wonder.

Pushing open the door to the gym, she couldn't spot one unfamiliar face. Wrestlers had truly taken over the hotel. Settling down on a yoga mat not far from the treadmills and weight racks, she dropped her bag to the side and started stretching.

You wouldn't have guessed it was just after 6am. Media engagements started at 11am so it wouldn't be a long workout, but it would cure her itchy feet. Her eyes scanned the room, as her muscles stretched out, with gentle motions. Her green eyes caught sight of Claudio in the distance, he was spotting someone as they bench pressed a significant weight.

The man on the bench had a black hat on, his arms straining as he successfully pushed up each rep of the heavy weights. Rotating her shoulders, she watched as rack was put back into place and the man rose from the bench with a slap from Claudio's hand.

No chance of her lifting weights that heavy, she knew her limits but it still amazed her to watch some of the men and women do it. She froze in place when the man in question, who had previously been lifting, switched places with Claudio and caught her gaze.

A smirk pulled his lips up, it was a devious and cocky look.

Ava didn't know why she was surprised to see him here, it was the Shield's first WrestleMania on the card, of course they would here. So why was she frozen in the same spot, watching as he turned around, showing her his back as he spotted Claudio's rep session. Without knowing it, she bit down on her lip and thought back to when she'd last seen him.

At Colby's house they had met in the kitchen that night, his hands had worked their magic on her sore back. His gravelly voice, the pressure of his thumbs and the impressive tent that showed up too. Before she could watch the sweat and muscles on his arms, she turned to face the treadmills, shoving her earbuds in and turning her music up.

She needed to get a workout in, not get distracted by Jon Good again.

Her 'next time' promise rung clear in her head. It was all she could think about. Had he remembered? If that smirk was anything to go by, of course he had remembered. He didn't seem like the type to forget about a promise like that.

But she hadn't seen him in a couple of months, she just assumed nothing would come of it.

Now she thought differently.

Shaking her head, she increased the incline and pushed herself harder as Paige attacked the punching bag. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck as she reached up, while feeling the burn of her thighs and pulled her hair into a small ponytail. Reaching for a towel, she wiped the droplets from her skin and slowed down the pace.

She had run her miles and got her heart rate up, thanks to the treadmill and that smirk from Jon.

Jumping off, music still played in her ears as she spied the now free squat rack. Placing the correct, much lighter weights onto the bar, she secured them into place before taking up position.

The squat rack had always been her favourite piece of equipment in the gym, something that her and Nikki Bella had bonded over. It gave her all the right curves in all the right places and she thanked it for that. She considered herself shapely, her body naturally slim, which she could thank her younger years for. But the gym had given her the curves she had always wanted.

Her eyes focused on the mirror before her, watching her form, as she rose up and down, feeling the burn in her backside and legs.

Her tired eyes found Paige in the mirror, following her only to greet Neville as he dragged himself into the gym with a solemn look. Ava watched as the Brit beamed over at him, the man turning to glare at the woman. Chuckling to herself, the Seattle native looked back at her positioning, but instead found the devilish blue eyes of Jon. He was stood in front of the weight racks, doing reps a mere 10 feet away from. Her eyes had easily found his in the reflection of the mirror.

The smirk was no longer there, but the glint in his eyes had remained. His shirt was missing, as was his hat, both discarded somewhere.

Moving down, she couldn't help but take in the tanned skin of his chest, the light dusting of hair and the defined muscles. Not to mention the sweat that was now creating a nice little path for her eyes to follow south. That was much appreciated. Especially as he caught her in the act.

Blushing, she turned back to focus on her form before replacing the rack into its resting place. Stretching forward, _two can play this game_ she thought.

Her fingers reach forward to touch her toes as her legs parted to allow her to get deeper into the stretch. She didn't have to look up; she could feel his eyes on her body. Rolling her spine up to standing, she grabbed her towel, wiping her forehead before moving over to a different machine, not sparing the Shield member another glance.

* * *

The after party was busy to say the least.

Hall of Famers were everywhere, mingling with wrestlers and the crew. Legends were posing for photos, enagaged in conversation with the younger talent. Renee had been positioned earlier in the night as one of the interviewers on the red carpet.

Some NXT wrestlers had been allocated Axxess sessions during, with fortunate enough to be seated for the ceremony, witnessing the inductions, but they had all gather at the After Party to celebrate the evening.

Decked out in a black dress that skimmed her knee and straps that intertwined across her back, Ava, Renee and Paige had posed for photos in front of the Hall of Fame sign. The future Sister Abigail had styled her blonde locks for the evening in loose waves, her makeup neutral and bronzed.

Paige had obviously gone for her signature smokey eyes, a crop top, black jeans and vans, opting for a more low key look for the after party. "It's like bloody night and day the two of us." The Brit quipped, eyeing up the blonde.

Paige watched as Ava's laugh had dried up and a gasp left her mouth. "Trish and Lita." She whispered, refusing the urge to point. "Trish and Lita are here. Trish and Lita!" She quietly hissed.

"Oh god, you're gonna bloody faint before you can introduce yourself." Paige joked, sipping on her champagne and Ava swallowed back her fangirling tendencies to put on a confident face. She couldn't help it as her eyes followed the legendary women around.

A sigh left her lips. "Did you listen to anything I just said, Wilson?"

Ava turned to her friend, "no." She replied with a straight face, her eyes wide.

"Ava!"

A squeal pulled her attention away from the legendary wrestlers to find the figure of Nikki Bella approaching her with a wide grin. The brunette was dressed in a strapless red dress, fabric wrapping around her curves, while her sister Brie followed behind her in a lace red dress.

Arms wrapped around her tightly, she had forgotten just how strong the Bella was. The threesome had met through Bryan, him and Ava going back to Ring of Honor. Nikki and Ava had immediately bonded over the gym and Brie and Ava had bonded over their love of yoga, while wine was what had knitted the threesome together.

"It's been so long!"

"Only a couple of months, you drama queen."

The brunette shot her a look before she moved to embrace the British diva beside her, while Brie met her in a hug. "You up for a yoga sweat sesh on Monday?"

"Sure." Ava grinned, "then we'll do lunch".

Nikki interrupted them both. "Does lunch come with wine? Because I might need it after tomorrow." Making plans and promises of wine to the diva, William Regal approached them before stealing away Ava from the group. Not revealing to her who exactly, she soon guessed as the pair approached the two wrestling legends she had been fangirling over earlier. Her jaw dropped open and she stuttered her words.

For once, she was speechless. Trish and Lita were every bit of the women she had admired for so long. Friendly and approachable, Ava felt her nerves slip away the more she spoke to the women. Regal watched on, dipping into the conversation every now and again, but he smiled on with pride bursting through him. He had high hopes for the young blonde. He saw so much potential in her, potential to reach the heights of Trish and Lita, and other legendary women in the business. She had that passion and it seemed the older women could see that too.

As Trish, the new Hall of Famer, and Lita were pulled away for a photoshoot, Regal had snapped a quick photo of the threesome. As they left, Ava turned to him with a wide grin, her face full of glee. She would make it in this industry, that he was sure of.

* * *

"You ready to make good on your promise?"

The gravel voice made her turn sharply. Leaning against the wall outside the building stood one third of the Shield and the bane of her workout this morning. Wearing a simple black shirt, rolled up to his elbows and tucked into a pair of blue jeans, he had his hair slicked back and cigarette between his lips.

Gulping back the lump as she remembered that evening in Colby's new house and how Jon's hands had worked away her niggles and aches. Those magic hands. Licking her lips, she refocused and missed the way his blue eyes found her pink tongue immediately. "What promise was that?" She feigned innocence.

Chuckling low in his chest, it rumbled and Ava fought back a smile. "Oh, is that how you're gonna play it now?" He stepped back from the wall, puffing out smoke.

Quirking a brow, she stood her ground and didn't move from her spot by the back entrance. "I don't remember making any promises."

He took one last drag off his cigarette, before flicking it onto the dimly lit side street. "I can remind you, if ya want." Staring directly at her, his eyes burned into her body.

"Now why did you have to go and sound so creepy, hm?" He shot the blonde a glare. In turn, she chuckled and reached for her phone. "Just like how you were being a creep today in the gym."

"I was merely appreciating." He excused himself instantly, smirking as his blue eyes scanned her body again. "Just like you were with me."

Her mouth opened and then closed, just like a fish. "I… I was…" He rose his eyebrows, waiting for her answer. "I was merely looking how much you bench pressed." She shot him a triumphant look.

"Of course you were, sunshine." The smirk didn't move from his lips. "Just let me know next time you want a private show."

Her mouth dropped open again, her lips slowly parting in shock. She didn't have anything to say back to that. She just watched half stunned as he shot her a wink before turning on his heel and walking back into the After Party.

**A/N: We'll be skipping forward with each chapter now because I'm just so damn eager to get her on the road and start this Sister Abigail storyline and reveal all that I've got planned in this little head of mine!**

**Hope you enjoyed this not-so-little chapter, let me know what you thought! ;) **


	11. Taunting and Teasing

NXT was a buzz of excitement. The weeks that followed WrestleMania had everyone in a good mood. But there was also word spreading through the roster of some visiting past NXT superstars. Ava had no clue who it was but she had every finger crossed that it was her friend Claudio.

The show meeting had gone by quickly, Ava wasn't surprised to not hear her name mentioned once. Swallowing back the bitter pill, she tried to not let it affect her, and instead tried to think about the future and the storyline she was just about to enter with the Wyatt Family. There hadn't been anything like it before. It would be a chance for all four of them, Bray, Luke, Erick and herself to shine.

Over the past week the four of them had been pulling together ideas, bouncing them off with Regal and occasionally Hunter. They were due to start filming a series of promos early next week, which would later be shown on RAW as a teaser. Ava would not be featured in them, only her voice. Thanks to Summer and the video she had posted on twitter a couple of months ago, Hunter had caught wind of her singing and Ava just wanted to shrivel up in a hole and disappear.

Yes, she sang in the car with the girls and was proud to say she could belt out a song and actually hold a tune. She wouldn't say no to karaoke but singing for work made her feel a bit vulnerable and exposed. It had never been part of her wrestling career and she had previously never wanted to. But Hunter had encouraged and persuaded her with the promise of how creepy and sinister it would all sound when the jigsaw came together.

So she had given a list of songs to Hunter and sought his approval. Her and Bray had come together one evening to trawl through their music to find the perfect lyrics for her to sing. Hunter's vision was creepy, sinister girl in horror films. She had to admit; she wasn't partial to those kind of horror films but swallowed back her fear and agreed.

"Regal wants to meet us." Luke mumbled to her and pulled her from her thoughts.

Nodding, she looked back up to see Hunter and Regal gone from the front and everyone slowly filing out. "I'm gonna go grab the notes. I'll meet you in the office." He ruffled her hair in response and she shot him a quick glare.

Luke had taken on the dad role rather quickly with her, always looking out for her. Erick was the recluse younger one and Bray was the mastermind and the protective older brother. They really had become a little family in such a short amount of time.

Collecting her notes from the women's locker room, she quickly doubled back in the direction of the office. Stopping shortly, she recognised the familiar threesome walking in the opposite direction. Frowning, her green eyes squinted in a frown at the widening smirk.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh it's nice to see you too, Ava." Colby quipped, crossing his arms over his chest. Dressed in gym clothing, they didn't resemble the Shield in the slightest in that moment. Well, except being three hulking figures that towered over her 5'6 form.

Shooting the two toned man a look, "I just meant I'm surprised to see you guys here. Y'know, now that you're big stars with a WrestleMania match under your belt and all." She flicked her wrist and pretended to not feel the burning gaze of Jon Good on her.

"Hunter asked us to do a couple of appearances on NXT on the next couple shows. Help boost ratings a bit." Joe, the voice of reason, behind them spoke up.

"Yeah, come and help out your little show."

Raising a brow at the blonde Shield member, she saw his smirk widen. "Little? Who are you calling little? We've got better ratings than Main Event."

Chuckling, Jon crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, settle down, firecracker."

Making a face, she took a deep breath before turning away from the Shield member. "I have a meeting to get to, but it was nice seeing you two." She looked pointedly as Colby and Joe only.

"And it's always nice seeing you, sunshine."

Shooting Jon an unimpressed look, she tried to ignore how his gravelly voice made her feel. It was like his hands were all over her back again, soothing each muscle. Shaking her head, she turned back to the pair and ignored him. "I'll catch you guys later." Rolling her eyes, she stepped through them to make her way to the office.

Squeezing past the three men was no easy feat, especially when Jon was being especially difficult and Joe and Colby couldn't back their chuckles. With her note papers in hand, she swung up and clipped him round the head. The satisfying smack brought a smile to her face. "Move, you ass."

"Feisty, I like it." Jon joked, moving to lean against the wall, his hand reaching up to rub his ear that had been struck. He watched on as she walked the rest of the way down the hall to Regal's office. Drawing in a deep breath, he relaxed against the wall with a satisfied smirk."I do like a challenge." He hummed, watching the subtle sway of her hips.

"Claudio would murder you. Slowly. And enjoy it too." Colby spoke up.

"You ain't got the time to play around anyway." Joe shot him a stern look. "We still need to talk to the guys about this match."

Jon simply grinned over at them. "Then let's go boys."

"Like a damn puppy after a treat." The Samoan shook his head and turned Jon in the opposite direction of the blonde.

* * *

"I think I might dye my tips blue."

"I think you would like to get fired. How the heck are you gonna clear that with management?"

"I'd get away with it."

"Doubtful." Ava snorted, casually braiding the black locks of Paige as they lounged on the sofas in catering. She was surprised the Brit had even allowed her, but she had nonetheless. The TV monitors faced them and captured their attention as NXT kicked off, showing the Shield as they sauntered to the ring for their tag match.

The blonde bit down on her lower lip, her eyes scanning one Dean Ambrose in the ring. He turned into a certain type of beast between those ropes; Jon Good was no longer there. They had picked up the win successfully, no surprise there. They had demolished their opponents with a triple power bomb. Grabbing mics, they soon were growling words of serving justice at NXT.

When Jon stepped on the mic, his gravelled voice rolled over her. Her nimble fingers braided Paige's hair on autopilot but her mind was back to thinking about his hands and how they had worked her magic on her sore and aching muscles. She had said 'next time' and she wasn't lying, she hoped there would be a next time. She wouldn't mind taking advantage of those soothing hands every now and again.

A smirk touched her lips at the thought of what else his hands were capable of. Snapping her eyes back up to the screen as Paige yelled out something, she watched as Jon manically shook his hair while rolling his shoulders. From the tron, Corey Graves appeared, taunting them all the while Ava's eyes were glued to the Ohioan.

Seth got back on the mic, accepting Graves' challenge, the two toned man clearly still having an issue with the man who had defeated him. Groaning, she knew this meant all three of them would be back for the next taping as well. That meant more taunting and teasing from the blonde man. But a small part of her didn't mind that.

Jon's fist met Joe and Colby's, his tongue snaking out with a devilish look as he brushed his hair back.

She couldn't figure him out for the life of her. He was so cocky and arrogant. But yet there was a twinkle in his eye whenever he got sarcastic with her, like he was enjoying teasing and annoying her. He already knew what buttons to press with her and he didn't even know her that well. Except that she liked tequila and massages.

Before they became the Shield, they hadn't spoken much, if at all. Yes, he had hit on her at a house party once last year. But he had been blind drunk and she was a bit fragile and had just broken up with her boyfriend. So fragile was putting it lightly, she was near broken. She had said no repeatedly to him until Claudio had finally pulled him away.

Blinking, she noticed they had disappeared from the screen and Paige was jabbering on about another house party tonight. "Cass is hosting so you know they'll be a lot of drinks."

"Drinks? You are not 21 yet."

Paige shot the blonde a look. "Whatever you say, mom." Rolling her eyes, Paige turned and flopped back against her.

"Fine, I'll go. I'll be your sensible chaperone."

The Brit scoffed and then laughed. "Alright, sensible. If that's what you wanna call yourself, love."

Half offended, Ava shot her a look. "I am sensible. More sensible than you."

"Okay, just don't make me remind you what happened last time Cass threw a house party." Paige smirked and Ava grimaced. Memories flooded her of drinking some foul mixture of alcohol during a drinking game and the rush of sickness that hit her straight after. All she could remember was getting very familiar with Cass' bathroom floor.

"Please don't. It's bad enough that Cass won't let me forget it."

Ignoring Paige laughing at her, she caught sight of a flash of black out of the corner of her eye. The threesome walked down the row of tables covered in food. Joe filled up a cup of coffee, Colby reached for a water, while Jon grabbed an apple, twirling it in his hand.

His hair was now slicked back, his protective vest unbuckled to reveal the black tank top beneath. There was a slight swagger in his steps as he turned to catch her staring. His eyes widened, that twinkle returning as he took a few steps towards her and Paige. The Brit in front of her looked up at him with a frown.

"See something you like, sunshine?"

Ava tried with all her might to ignore the effect his rough voice was having on her. "Yeah, I do actually." Offering him an eyebrow raise of her own, she crooked her finger at him, beckoning him closer. His smirk turned into a grin as he bent over to her eye level. Running her tongue over her lower lip, his eyes followed, she then reached forward and swiped the apple from his grasp.

Taking a big bite in front of him, she chewed and swallowed. "Thanks, I'm starving." The smirk vanished from his face in an instance and Ava finally felt like she had won that round.

**A/N: Stay tuned for Big Cass' house party in the next chapter… Guess who else got invited? ;)**


	12. Twisted Encounters

"Avaaa!" The Seattle native turned upon hearing her name, spotting the brunette instantly. Two arms wrapped around her tightly and a drink was thrust into her hand as soon as she had stepped through the door of Colin Cassady's apartment. "I missed the other house party, so this is me wanting a repeat." Nikki Bella grinned at her.

Frowning, the blonde chuckled but still accepted the drink. "There will be no repeats." Returning the hug. "Great match tonight though."

"Thanks, it feels weird to be back at NXT after all this time." Scrunching up her nose, she referenced the year off the sisters had just returned from. Although they had returned to the main roster straight away, both sisters had also been down at NXT for the past couple of shows, while filming for their new TV show, Total Divas. "But it feels good."

"Yeah, it feels good to have you back and kicking ass on RAW too."

"You'll be on there too soon. Baby steps." Raising a finger, she took a gulp of her drink. "Nick's already got his eye back on me." Rolling her eyes, she gestured to the bleach blonde man chatting to Cass in the corner.

"Can't blame him really, I mean, with that dress and all." Raising her eyebrows, she averted her gaze from the white lace dress that complimented her skin tone perfectly and took another drink. The Bella twin always dressed to impress, whether it was a formal dinner or a house party, it was all the same for her. Meanwhile, Ava had chosen ripped skinny jeans and a crop top. The two were complete opposites in that sense. "What even is this?" Ava made a face.

Nikki simply grinned. "Better you don't know." Giggling, she hooked her arm and pulled her over to the kitchen.

Spotting the man whose apartment they were drinking in, she crept up on Cass and wrapped her arm around him. "Hey big man. Thanks for having me."

He returned the hug, "Just please don't throw up in my bathroom again." Slapping his chest, she frowned as Cass filled Nick Nemeth in on what happened at his last house party. "It was horrific. Then she passed out on the floor."

"Stop it!" Whining, she couldn't help but watch as Nick burst out laughing. "It won't happen again, I promise. You'll stop me before I get that bad."

"Should I just take this away right now then?" Cass joked with a straight face, reaching for her cup.

"Noooo! I'm gonna enjoy myself tonight."

"Good. Because when you leave for the main roster, you won't be invited to any more."

"Yes, I will! Don't say things like that." Slapping his chest again, "you throw the best house parties." Taking another gulp, her eyes caught the door opening and she froze when she saw who stepped through the door.

Wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a black hat on backwards, Jon Good strolled into the apartment with Colby by his side. The blonde man wore a smug look as he nodded to a few people, greeting them in a quick hug and making small talk. He hadn't noticed the blonde woman yet.

"What is _he_ doing here?" She mumbled, clearly loud enough for Cass to hear.

The big man turned to see where she looked to find her gaze had settled on Jon. "I invited him. Can't not invite the guy, I used to live with him."

Groaning, she turned to get another drink as the Shield brothers approached Cass and Nick. "I need a drink."

"You've got a drink."

"No, I need a bigger one."

Keeping herself busy, her hands searched the bottles that sat on the kitchen island. Vodka… Rum… Whiskey… She paused before picking the bottle up and pouring herself a short cup, only to pour a little extra in. It wouldn't hurt. They all were due down at the Performance Center tomorrow, but it wasn't a show day. She could afford to enjoy herself tonight.

Just not all over Cass' bathroom.

Taking a gulp, she savoured the burn while eyeing up the bottles for her next drink of choice. Her eyes lit up when she found the tequila bottle.

"Cute, you got me a drink." Before she could turn to face him, her drink was swiped from her hand and was being gulped by the blonde Ohioan.

"Actually—"

"Thanks, sunshine." Shooting her a wink, he leaned back against the island beside her and effectively blocking her path. "S'only fair, y'know? You took my food. I take your drink."

Ava made a face at the blonde man, watching as he smacked his lips and let out a 'ahh' as he enjoyed the whiskey. "What are you ten?"

"Close. Good choice by the way."

She reached for a new cup, frowning at the man beside her. "Thanks, I had been enjoying that, but y'know…" Finding the tequila bottle again, she poured herself a healthy sized cup, adding some orange juice and grenadine to make a quick tequila sunrise. She let out a sigh at the first taste. She had definitely gone heavy on the tequila.

"Fancy another game of shots?" Wiggling his eyebrows, Jon grinned widely at her. "I promise not to pick absinthe this time."

"I don't trust you on that. Think you'll have to find another victim, Ambrose."

The man beside her chuckled, a playful look on his face. She noticed how when he smiled, little creases appeared beside his eyes and how his tongue poked out to rest against his lower lip like it would a dog. He was more like a hound than she had thought. That, and he enjoyed preying on her and teasing her mercilessly.

"You're funner when you're drunk."

"Excuse me?"

"Wait, hold that thought." He grabbed her cup and took a sip before handing it back to her. She wore a horrified look the entire time. "Tequila." A wicked smirk settled on his lips. "I take that back, I think you're about to get a whole lot better in a couple hours."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't remember, sunshine." He took a step closer to her, smiling angelically. "I remember quite clearly what you told me." She raised her eyebrows, having no recollection of this so-called conversation they had. The blonde man leant in close, his mouth hovering over her ear. "Tequila makes your clothes fall off." His words were whispered, with a hint of humour lacing each word. But when he pulled back, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes were wide. "Don't worry, I'll be there to help you out when they do."

The man shot her a wink before turning on his heel. The music resounded in her ears as she watched him disappear into the crowd of wrestlers. Ava wanted to shrink away into the sea of bottles. When had she said that to him? _Oh my god. _Screwing up her face she took a big gulp of her drink and vowed to herself to never let tequila have that affect on her anymore.

But she had a feeling she would eat those words soon enough.

* * *

"Great party, Cass. I mean you really know how to clear a place out." Paige patted his shoulder supportively, staring around at the apartment that was once full.

Shooting the Brit a look, the big man shrugged off her arm. "You can blame Woods for that."

"What did I do?!"

"I think it may have started with the suggestion of strip poker." Ava said.

"Nah, that kept me around, man." A loud chuckle sounded as Jon nudged Woods in the side.

"Of course it did. Any excuse to see a pair of tits."

"You offering, sunshine?"

She rolled her eyes, refusing to rise to the bait.

"This just means we can get this bitch going now!" Woods exclaimed, reaching for the vodka. "My suggestion of strip poker still stands. Any takers?" He looked expectantly around the room, scanning each of their faces. Stood before him, Jon immediately raised his hand up. Cass seemed to debate it for a second before shrugging and raising his hand. Summer frowned from the sofa, while Colby sniggered into his glass.

Claudio looked disapprovingly at the three men.

Ava groaned before jumping up on the kitchen counter and Paige just slapped Xavier upside the head. "Where are you original ideas, Woodsie?"

"No one else has any valid ideas!"

"You never actually asked." The Brit argued.

"Well? What ya got crumpet?"

Xavier successfully dodged another slap.

"I say twister." A few groaned around the young woman.

"Oh boy. I'm gonna need another drink." Ava twisted from her spot on top of the kitchen counter to grab the tequila bottle and her shot glass.

"With a twist!" Paige continued, with her hand raised.

"I'm gonna need one of those too." Colby called from his spot on the sofa. The blonde nodded and grabbed another glass, quickly filling it.

"Just let me explain." The woman stressed, fixing them all with a hard glare.

"Go on, crumpet." Xavier nodded.

Ignoring the younger man, Paige growled and turned to the others. "We play like normal twister rules, except there's a shot glass filled with something on some circles." She lifted the shot glass that Ava had just filled for Colby. "You do the shot and then move your arm or leg to that spot. How bloody simple can ya get?" She finished, gulping down the liquid in the glass.

"So it's just gonna end like a massive pancake stack. Except the real loser is the one on the bottom." Summer said with an unimpressed look.

Paige considered the idea, making a face. "Pretty much. Except funny too."

Within seconds, even if no one had really agreed, Cass had pulled out two twister mats, Paige was scouting out enough shot glasses and Ava was cradling her beloved tequila bottle.

"I call twister master!" Xavier yelled out, running to grab the spin board. "I have training tomorrow morning, sorry not sorry." He excused, getting comfortable on the sofa.

"We all have training tomorrow, you idiot." Paige argued.

"Uh, I don't."

"Yeah, we're off tomorrow."

Everyone paused to offer the two Shield members a glare.

"All in favour of them doing a compulsory shot?" Ava raised her hand, with the others quickly following suit. With a devilish smirk upon her lips, she reached for the bottle that caught her eye earlier in the night and filled two shot glasses. The blonde eagerly handed over the two shots with a wide smile. "Drink up, boys."

The two men took it without question, scoffing it off as some silly idea of the blondes. "You think you gonna win one over on me, blondie?" Jon quipped.

Together, they downed them. But just as quickly as they were gone, a burn trickled down their throats and threw them into a coughing fit.

"What was that shit? Poison?!" Colby groaned, reaching for his beer quickly.

"Better you don't know." Ava smugly patted him on the shoulder, sparing Jon a smirk. "Let's just say I won that round." The blonde Shield member glared at her through his coughing fit.

"Alright! Cass you're up first, for being such a great host!" Two twister mats had been laid out side by side as everyone had stood around them on wobbly feet. "Right hand red." Xavier called out, watching with anticipation and a big grin as the big man bent down to take the shot.

Cass smiled easy, his hand placed on red. "Sweet, sweet tequila."

"Paige, left foot yellow." The Brit stepped towards the edge of the mat, quickly doing the shot and shuddering.

"Vodka." She squeaked.

"Colby. Right foot green." The man did the shot quickly.

"Summer, left foot-"

"If she has another drink, she'll be screeching like a cat."

"Whaaaat!" The blonde in question screeched before Paige pushed her back towards the sofa. She fell over the arm, flopping against the cushions with a frown.

"Ava, right hand yellow." Crouching down, the woman did the shot quickly and placed her hand on the spot. The burn trickled down her throat and she gagged at the taste. "Absinthe." Shuddering, she tried to not be sick all over the colourful mats.

"New rule, if you vomit, you lose and you are out." Xavier ordered.

"Sure you don't want me to help you with that gag reflex of yours?" The words were whispered into her ear, the gravel voice rolling over her.

Launching a fist back, she landed a punch to Jon's chest. "Fuck off."

"Jon, right foot red."

Choosing the red circle near Ava, the man shot her a quick wink before doing the shot with a smug look. Picking up speed, some circles had been left without a shot glass, purely because they were limited on glasses. Hands and feet moved around circles, with Colby quickly becoming eliminated after one too many shots and a case of wobbly feet. Still left in the game were Cass, Jon, Paige and Ava.

Summer had since passed out on the sofa and Claudio has subtly been topping up a select few shot glasses, and replacing them on circles without them realising.

"Paige, left foot red."

"You fucker. How am I supposed to bend like that?" The woman sneered, before attempting a backward lunge with both her hands on green already and a leg bent on yellow. Her foot slid underneath Cass's long arm before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Ava, left foot yellow."

Huffing, the blonde considered her next step carefully. She could either twist over into a crab and basically be thrusting in everyone's face and risk falling over and losing the game, or she could reach over to put her foot on yellow and be bending over right in front of Jon. Without thinking twice, she swallowed her pride and bent over, not wanting to lose.

She refused to look back but could feel his burning eyes on her.

"Jon, right hand blue." Woods sniggered as he read it out.

Reaching down, he curled over the blonde woman, his head just over her shoulder. "How you doing down there, sunshine? You getting a bit shaky yet?"

"Fuck you. I am not shaking. I'm stronger than ever, you ass."

"So why do I feel you shaking?"

"Maybe because you're heavy and putting your weight on me?" Chuckling, he shifted back from her slightly. "Spin it, Woods!" She yelled, feeling his breathe on her neck.

"Cass, left hand yellow."

The big man stretched for the coloured dot but at the last second wobbled and hit the floor with a thud. Paige was bumped but held her position, with a furious, competitive look on her face. "Paige, right hand blue."

"Piece of cake." The woman stretched, the furious look gone.

"Ava, right hand red."

Grunting, she placed her hand on the circle, purposefully picking the one without a shot. At least the spot gave her some space from Jon breathing down her neck. She could already feel her thoughts and brain getting a bit fluffy, the shots hitting her hard.

"Jon, left foot green."

Considering his spot, Jon leaned to put his foot on the green circle, positioning himself over the crooked body of Ava. The woman already had a limb on each colour and now a Shield member bent over right over her. Colby and Xavier had burst out laughing in the corner.

"Really? You chose that green circle out of all of them? Really?" Ava stressed, already balancing in position, her wrist shook from balancing on them as the alcohol ran through her blood.

"Yeah, I did. Now shut up and don't bump me."

"Bastard."

"Woods! Spin it already!"

"Paige, right foot blue."

"Oh fuck." Huffing and puffing, the Brit balanced and placed her right foot in front of her right hand on blue. Her body shook as her knee bent but she held position and breathed a sigh of relief, before cackling in everyone's faces.

"Ava…" Xavier span the board and burst out laughing with Colby. "right foot yellow."

Paige's cackle grew louder before she hiccupped.

"You assholes."

Behind her, Jon grunted out a sound of approval as she bent herself into a pretzel and landed on the circle successfully. "Pretty flexible there, huh? Good to know."

"You're so lucky I can't hit you right now."

"Hurry up, would you?! Someone take that bloody spinner off of him!" Paige yelled, trying not to wobble too much.

"Jon, right foot blue."

Grunting, the man threw a leg over the blonde crouched form, with his left foot on green, left hand on yellow and now his right foot joining his right hand on a blue. The group sniggered as Ava screeched feeling his backside touch her back and inadvertently make her wobble.

"Stop touching me!"

Jon's left hand slipped out of place, he reached to back to touch the yellow but couldn't quite reach. His right foot slid off the mat, his body falling to the floor with the blonde woman caught beneath him. The pair went down in a heap and Paige yelled out in victory at the top of her lungs.

"Yes! Champion! Where's my belt?!"

"You fucker." Ava turned over, wrestling her way away from the Shield member. He roared with laughter as she tackled him to the ground, throwing feeble, weak hits at him. "You did that on purpose!"

"I forgot you were a sore loser." Growling, she launched into another string of slaps, the mat sliding around beneath them. Jon's laugh mingled with the others in the room, watching as the blonde took out her anger on him. When the slaps paused, he finally had the chance to look up at her, a wide grin in place. "So you like being on top, huh, sunshine?" In the midst of taking her anger out on him, she had worked her way to straddling his hips. With flushed cheeks, she looked down at their position. "I'll keep that in mind."

Growling again, she launched another string of slaps to him, whilst sliding off his body and ignoring his roaring laughter.

Jon 2 – Ava 1

This wouldn't end well.

**A/N: Hi! So I toyed with adding the twister thing in, but god damn it I needed something to loosen them both up. Which this definitely did ;) You ain't even ready for what I've got planned for them and this story… Just you wait! Let me know what you think in a kind little review! :)**


	13. One on One

The halls of Full Sail were different from FCW. More polished, more professional, more civilised. Anything was in comparison to the building they had worked in, he supposed. Beside him walked Colby, chewing his ear off about a new game he hadn't heard of before.

Joe was running late after picking his daughter up from school. It was a rare occasion for the bigger man, or any of them really, to be home for a few days now. The schedule on the main roster was extreme to say the least. It would only get busier with the more promotional work they did for the company.

Jon wouldn't care. This was what he wanted. This was what he had worked so hard for over the past decade of his life. This was it. This was his life. He would work himself to the bone to get that top spot, he would sweat and bleed every single match he was in.

Until then, he would go on like always, pushing his body to unknown limits, hit the gym harder than before, grapple with the best and the worst of them.

"Wanna hit the ring before tonight?" He turned to see Colby looking at him like an excitable puppy. "Show these NXT rookies how it's done?"

They had a few newer recruits starting today. That meant teasing them, but also showing them how it's done. A certain blonde would also be there. He could do with a little boost to his day, rib her a little and tease her. She made it far too easy sometimes and he learnt quickly what buttons to press to get her riled up.

Yeah, he wouldn't mind showing the rookies how it was done. A smirk touched his lips. "Yeah, sounds good."

"What's that look for?"

"What look?"

"That look."

"What? I don't have a look." The man frowned. "That's just my face."

Colby cocked his head to the side, giving him a questionable glance. "No, that look says you're up to something."

The Ohioan scoffed. "Who? Me? Nahhh, man."

Walking away from Colby, there was a spring in his step as he eagerly walked towards their locker room for the night. Suddenly tonight was looking up for the man.

* * *

Calculating blue eyes scanned the gym within the Performance Center. He spied the newbies through the glass window, getting another speech from Robbie Brookside and Matt Bloom. They all looked fresh faced; some ready, some not so ready for what faced them inside the ring.

Another fresh face caught his eye. To one side of the gym stood the blonde who had captured his attention over recent months.

Jon Good had grown particularly fond of the woman, like a magnet he was drawn to her, and well, she was stuck with him now.

He watched on, his muscles moving on their own accord with each strike to the punching bag. But his eyes remained glued on her pert backside as she bent back into a low squat before standing up again with a kettlebell in her grip. She repeated the process again and again, the muscles showing through in her thighs.

Licking his lips, he stilled the bag before him and unwrapped his hands. She was a challenge alright. The woman hadn't given him a single look since he had arrived that day at NXT and it drove him crazy. Usually, women would flock to him. Hell, he had seen half of the newbies eye him up already, not to mention some of the NXT women.

But she hadn't spared him a glance yet. Not a single one.

Growling low in his throat, he changed up his workout and reached for the pull up bar, doing a steady rep.

Her promise still lingered in the back of his mind and he wondered if she actually meant it. If she actually would help him out with his hard on next time. He certainly wouldn't say no to her.

But he wasn't a chaser.

Jon wanted her to come to him. But he had a feeling she wouldn't be as easy as the other women he had been with. She wasn't another girl at the bar, or ring rat that had followed him, she wasn't like that at all.

She was a challenge and she knew that. Hell, he liked that.

"Dude."

Dropping down to the ground, he met the gaze of Colby. "What?"

The two toned man narrowed his eyes at him. "Regal wants us to do a round with the NXT guys."

The Ohioan followed on, lifting his shirt up to mop the sweat that coated his face and neck. He adjusted it back into place and that's when he caught her eye.

Sending a wink her way, his ego swelled and his chest visibly puffed out. The woman had put the swagger back into his step.

"What's with the look again?" Colby questioned him as they waited as Regal gave some of the guys a talk.

"What look?"

"The look you get. You look like a cocky son of a bitch."

"Like I said, that's just my face." He gave the younger man a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest and relaxing against the ring apron. When their time came, they entered the ring and grappled with a select few. Eventually, the crowd dissipated and all who remained was himself, Colby, Xavier, Neville and Corey. Joe had arrived and got stuck in quickly as the group worked out the technicality of their 6 man tag match for later that evening.

In the ring across from them were Ava, Paige, Emma and Bayley. The blonde was locked up with Bayley in that moment, the brunette securing her into a tight hold. She squirmed around, trying to fight out of it as Sara Amato watched on. She stilled her movements, Bayley pulling tighter on the hold before the blonde sprung to life, twisting and reversing the hold. Bayley reciprocated with a sidewalk slam before the blonde could get up. "Take a break and when we come back, we'll get Paige and Emma." Sara announced, patting the ring apron before turning away.

Jon watched as the blonde relaxed on her back in the centre of the ring, her feet resting on the ropes as she chatted with Bayley about their match. As the Shield member turned back to the men planning spots for the match, he could hear her laugh ring out.

Doing a quick run through, their big spots planned and the winning spot nailed, they rested against the ropes, chatting mildly about the difference between life at NXT and life on the road. It was far to say no matter how much the Shield members loved the live main roster crowd, a certain part of them missed NXT and the people here. They would always love coming home to this place, no matter how big they got.

A flash of blonde caught his eye and seconds later, she appeared at the side of the ring. "This is what you guys do, huh? Just sit around and talk. Jeez, the girls don't even talk half as much as you guys." Ava shot them a look with an eyebrow raise.

"Aww, did you miss us?" Colby quipped.

"I saw you last week, you idiot. It hasn't been long enough to miss you."

"You say the sweetest things to me, A."

"C'mon, let's see what you got, girls." She slapped the ring apron and they looked at her all with deadpan expressions.

"How about we show _you_ what we've got? C'mon, get in the ring."

"What, you gonna Shield-bomb me?" She shot them a deadpanned look.

"That can be arranged, sunshine." Jon quipped, smirking and licking his lips.

"That's not even what it's called!" Colby stressed. "It's a triple power bomb. Now get in the ring and we'll find out who's the better one."

Ava smirked at Colby. "I'd wipe the floor with you."

A round of 'oohs' struck the ring. Jon's eyes lit up, watching the banter between the two friends as he leaned back against the ropes.

"I, personally, would love to see that." The Ohioan offered. Ava sent him a look before jumping up onto the apron.

"C'mon then, Colb. I'm done for the day, may as well kill time teaching you a few things about women's wrestling."

Colby glared at the woman. "I don't have to prove anything to you."

"Spoken like a true loser."

Placing his hands on his hips, he would choose his words wisely next time as he stood across from the sharp tongued woman. "Two out of three falls?"

"I just need the one match to beat you." Silence surrounded the ring as the two stared each other down.

"I got 20 bucks on sunshine over here." Jon offered up.

"What?!" Colby squeaked, shooting him daggers. "I thought we were brothers, man!"

"I'll match that." Joe spoke up nonchalantly.

"What?!" He turned to the big man. "Oh, oh, I see how it is. One wrong sushi order and you are all screwing me over."

Neville and Corey murmured Joe and Jon's bets, and all eyes turned to Xavier in the corner. "I mean, uh..." He shot Ava a sorry look before slapping Colby on the shoulder. "I'd back you man."

"Well someone had to." Ava quipped with a sly smirk and it only grew wider when Colby shot her a deathly look. Without another word, the Iowan pulled his hair up into a bun to ready himself. "Quick fixin' your hair and let's get on with it already."

Snickering, all the other men slipped out the ring, bar Jon who conveniently offered to officiate.

They locked up within seconds and immediately Ava could feel the strength from Colby. He quickly pushed her into the corner, his arms wrapped around her neck in a hold.

"Break it!" Jon yelled but the two stubborn wrestlers stayed still as they fought for control. "3! Break it, Lopez!" He slipped a hand between the two and gave the younger man a shove. "Don't make me look bad on my first officiating gig!"

Behind him, Ava quickly thought out her game plan. She wanted to win this, she wanted to put Colby in her place, but it had been far too long since they had last sparred and he had only grown stronger over the years. Grunting, she pushed off the turnbuckle and charged for the Iowan. Catching him off guard, she tackled him to the ground and stuck him in a rear naked choke hold.

"Oh you can definitely teach me a few things about women's wrestling if ya like, sunshine." Jon quipped, with a smirk on his face. Ava caught the smirk and wanted to reach out and smack it off his face.

"Shut up."

Capitalising on her distraction, Colby rose to his feet and stood up with Ava still wrapped around his back like a koala clinging on. Reaching behind him, he gripped her tightly before flipping her over as her back met the canvas hard.

Ava groaned out at the impact and didn't have a second to breathe before Colby was pinning her. Jon was quick to make a count of two before she kicked out.

Colby laughed loudly in her face, "_This_ close, A. Just this close."

She quickly silenced him as she swung her leg out and knocked him clean off his feet. Rolling his legs up, she pinned him which Jon made a quick count for but Colby kicked out at one.

"Don't talk too soon, pup."

Scowling at the blonde, he kicked up onto his feet and grappled with her again, fighting for control. Moves were exchanged as the men watched on, bets placed and money on the line. Colby's pride too.

The blonde got a few significant shots in on the two toned man, including in a superkick which hit his chin perfectly and knocked him out for a 2 ½ pin count. Colby had got in a few mean shots from himself, including a wicked clothesline which spun the blonde over.

But it all came down to one slip up made by Colby that ended the match. After a well placed dropkick, Ava successfully crossed his legs and hooked her arms through them before flipping him over onto his stomach into a Texas Cloverleaf submission hold.

The blonde grinned wildly when she heard Colby's yelp. Pulling his legs, she leaned back further into the hold and sat on her lower back. Colby's hands pushed on the canvas but it was no use, he was in the middle on the ring.

"Oh, fuck." He muttered beneath her.

"Kick out!" Xavier yelled from the apron.

Colby continued to mutter out curses. When he pushed up on his knuckles again, Ava leant further back, putting more pressure on his legs and lower back.

He groaned once more before tapping out reluctantly. The sound of his palm meeting the canvas was music to the blonde's ears. She released the hold and Colby quickly curled his leg in towards his body.

Reaching for her slender wrist, Jon announced Ava as the winner. A smirk pulled up the blonde man's as she grinned, tugging her shirt into place. His eyes were drawn to her curves as she stepped towards Colby.

"You bitch."

"Aw, don't be a bitter loser, Colb." Ava beamed, skipping around him before offering him a hand to get up.

"Just you wait til you debut and I'm gonna curb stomp outta nowhere."

He levelled her with a look, the corner of his mouth ever so slightly creeping upwards into a smile. The Iowan never could keep a straight face while cutting a promo against her. Despite cutting hundreds on her while they were on the Indies, she would always catch the corner of his mouth pulling up ever so slightly and threaten a grin.

"Oh, I'll be waiting for that. Not that you'll stand a chance against me then either."

The blonde grinned widely and dodged a noogie to the head from the two toned man. One by one they filed out of the ring, the men heading towards the back for showers before the show tonight. Ava spared a look around the now empty training rings, her hand gliding against the ropes as she slid out of the ring.

As her feet hit the padded floor below, she had food on her mind but a voice yelled out behind her.

"Come on, sunshine!" The voice bellowed behind her. She bit back the smirk, with her back to the man. "You and me, one on one." She flicked him a look over her shoulder, a slight smirk and a twinkle in her eyes. "I can give you that Shield-bomb you've been wanting."

"You're forgetting the two other men that you need to do the move."

A cocky grin slipped onto his lips as he sat on the second rope, inviting her into the ring. "I don't need them for what I want to do to you."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she spluttered out a laugh at his suggestive remark. "What you want to do to me?"

"Yeaahh." He drawled out the word, giving her a once over. "Like just, y'know, I can give you a standard powerbomb. Now get your mind outta the gutter." He simply wore a wolfish grin as he nodded her into the ring. "Get in the ring."

She had never stepped in the ring with him before, never locked up or even tested moves out on each other. Of course, she had seen him wrestle; he was like a magnet in the ring. Which is why she was a bit wary when she stepped inside the ring and stood across from him.

"What's wrong? Not so cocky anymore?"

Her eyebrow shot up, the challenge bubbling inside of her. "I already proved my point to Colby. Do I really need to prove it to you too, you suggestive asshole?"

The grin on his face spoke volumes. "I think you might have to."

"What does the winner get this time?"

"Shots?"

The scowl she shot him silenced his laughter quickly while memories of the shots hit her like a brick wall.

"You mean you don't want to have some tequila and let your clothes fall off?"

She charged at him with a thud, smacking him over the head. He quickly lifted her up onto his shoulders, but before he could execute the powerbomb, she had her ankles wrapped around his neck and took him down with a hurricanrana.

"How about we give you some tequila and see what happens then?"

"I'm pretty sure…" Rubbing his head, he rose up to standing. "I'd take my clothes off too. How about we drink it together? Fair game." The wrestler wiggled his eyebrows up and down, his tongue poking out as he did.

Once again, she charged at him for the advantage but the muscle on Jon won out as he drove her into the corner. His hands were still locked around her neck in their lock up and he felt her breath roll over his neck. He could smell fresh honey on her skin, mixed with sweat and knew he could get addicted to that scent. "That's three, you ass, and we have no ref!"

He backed off with a smirk, watching as she pulled her hair up into a short ponytail, a few strands falling forward into her face. He only just now noticed her freshly chopped locks as they skimmed the tops of her shoulders and his hands itched to reach out.

"You gonna stare at me all day or are we gonna do this, Ambrose?"

The mere mention of his in ring name pulled his attention away and lighted something within him. His tongue fell out of his mouth in a grin, looking like a happy dog, all before he charged for the blonde. She neatly avoided his hold with a backbend and sprung up to hit him in the midsection with a kick. He grabbed hold of her foot with one hand, wagging his finger at her with the other. "Nuh-uh, sunshine."

Ava caught him off guard as she leapt up and hit him in the side of the head with her other foot, knocking him down to his knees. She pushed him onto his back without notice, her hands landing on his shoulders. The blonde quickly covered him for the count; one arm hooking his leg as her other lay across his upper body as her breasts pushed into his chest, revealing the curve of her cleavage to him perfectly.

He would never admit that it was probably the best pin he'd encountered in the ring.

All too distracted by the way her body was pressed into his, he never even realised she shouted out quickly in one breath, "1, 2, 3!"

Failing to kick out in time for her superspeed count, Jon saw her jump up and bounce with a wide grin. "I won!" Her hands were raised up in the air. "Two Shield members pinned. That is what I call a good day."

Jon slowly pulled himself up to standing. "I never took you for a cheater, sunshine."

Slowly, a smirk pulled her lips up to reveal a set of pearly whites. It was the most devilish he had ever seen her look. "I never cheated. You just got distracted."

"Ha!" He blurted out with a straight face. "Distracted? By what?"

She shot him a look, her eyes flicking down to her chest with her arms out wide. "I saw you looking! Guess I learned something new about you, Ambrose. You're a boob man."

Jon shrugged shamelessly, a smile on his face. "What can I say? I like a nice pair of tits."

Shaking her head, she dropped down to ringside. "Hope you enjoyed the view, thanks for the win!" Ava shot back at him over her shoulder at him with a smirk as she walked back to the locker room with her heart hammering in her chest and a bounce in her step.

Jon 2 - Ava 2

Jon watched the natural sway of her hips until she disappeared from view, a smile firmly stuck on his face. Raking a hand down his face, he hit the showers before he could be tempted to follow her.

Meanwhile, a lone figure stood hidden in the office watching the pair, their match and their antics afterwards unfold. With a smile on his face, William Regal turned back to his desk and knew the chemistry between the pair would be a sight to seen when the Wyatts inevitably met the Shield on live TV.

**A/N: :) Sorry for the delay, but hope you're enjoying these two as much as I am! Let me know what you think!**


	14. Welcome to my Brain

The halls of the arena were buzzing with people. SmackDown was taping tonight and despite it being too early for talent to arrive, the crew were in full swing of applying the finishing touches to the stage and ring. It was far busier than any night at Full Sail would ever be.

But Ava loved it. A ball of energy settled deep into her stomach as her eyes scanned each hallway they stepped down. Beside her was Luke Harper, and behind them were Bray and Erick.

"What time did Trips say?"

"12, it's fine we're on time. Don't worry." He gave her a smile, the one of a doting father.

She nodded, eyes following each new face she saw.

They had been invited to the taping in order to discuss their storyline and timeline of events, while also film some of their upcoming promos for the weeks ahead. Hunter and Stephanie had explained how they wanted to slowly build up their legitimacy on the main roster and present them to the WWE Universe as the next big faction.

Luke raised a fist to knock on the door that read 'Paul Levesque' and Ava held back her squeal of excitement. This was it. They had finally made it.

"Come in!"

The foursome piled into the room, where Hunter and Stephanie sat behind a desk with an array of papers out before them. The brunette quickly pushed the papers to the side into a pile and rose to greet them all.

Greetings done, Ava caught Hunter give her a nod of encouragement to which she grinned back. The blonde sat down in one of the chairs, with Luke beside her and Bray leaning on her chair, while Erick chose to stand off to the side.

"So let's get right into it. Here's a timeline of events for you guys," Hunter began, handing out a sheet of paper to each of them. Ava passed one back to Bray without a word. "It's essentially a guide of what we want to accomplish with the Wyatt Family, what feeling we're getting off the promos and how we want to build you up."

"We've put some teaser promo ideas on there to discuss as well. We'll get you set up with a crew this afternoon to film some of them."

"But you pretty much have free reign over promos."

Ava could practically feel Bray's brain hum with ideas behind her. "What time we shooting for to debut?" He asked in his gruff, Southern accent.

"We're hoping for this summer. We want to book a Bray vs Kane feud to kick start the Wyatts. Have you seen as a threat, with the hope of a SummerSlam match."

The men around her nodded in agreement, they seemed happy enough with that result. As time went on, they discussed various ideas, Hunter and Stephanie making notes of their own as they went along. They spoke about how Sister Abigail would slot into the mix; she would be seen as the ring leader, the only one who had any power over Bray Wyatt, she was meant to have saved him. She would be the silent partner in the group, controlling them and everything they did from the sidelines, but Bray still did what he wanted. Abigail would be the one who thrived off of mayhem and destruction, with the kiss of death in Bray's finisher a symbol of that.

They touched on future feuds and how they envisioned a feud between the Wyatts and the Undertaker and Ava had to stop her jaw from dropping open. She didn't want Hunter to see her go all fan girl and then mock her until she retired over it.

By the end of the meeting, her ball of energy had turned into a swarming hive of bees in her stomach and all she wanted to do was run around and scream in excitement like a little girl.

Hunter rose to his feet with authority. "I'll take you to go meet the crew. We'll give you an hour or so to prepare for the promos and then we can start filming." They all nodded and rose to their feet to follow the COO out of the room.

"Oh, Ava!" Stephanie called the blonde back as they all halted at the door. "I need to have a chat about wardrobe with you." Hunter gave her a concerned look. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets to you guys alright." Stephanie waved her husband off as the door shut behind them. "Right, so we had a few ideas about Abigail outfits and wanted to run them past you." Ava nodded as the Billion Dollar princess came to sit beside her with a few photos of dresses. "The theme we are going with is angelic but creepy and haunting, so we envisaged a white dress, something that looks a little vintage and browning. Not crisp." Each white dress in the photo had skinny straps, but different intricate lace designs all over the dress. Some were knee length, some floor length and one mini. "We want Abigail to fit in with the Wyatts, but also be seen as a little bit different."

"I like it." Ava nodded, settling on the knee length dress with a v-neck and spaghetti straps. The lace design was floral but you could tell it was vintage due to the slight discolouration. "This looks good. But how can we spice it up?" Stephanie look worried for a moment. "Like have Abigail seem a bit rough around the edges to emulate the Wyatts. I can't see what kind of shoes Abigail would wear, so maybe I have no shoes and mud on my feet instead as if I've been walking around the forest, or messy hair, not neat or pristine. It wouldn't look right." The woman next to her nodded, starring off with her eyes moving on their own accord. Ava could see the cogs turning, ideas forming.

"That's good. How do you feel about contact lenses?"

Ava made a face. "Not good." Anything that went near her eyeballs was when she got squeamish.

Stephanie skipped over that idea, nodding and writing down a few notes. "I'll have you try on a few of these dresses later and we can see what works best, but I liked that one best too." She pointed to the photo Ava held on the top of the pile and gave the blonde a warm smile. "The hair looks great by the way, the exact look we were going for."

"Yeah, I kinda like it now. It was a lot to get chopped, but change is good."

"Change _is_ good." Stephanie agreed. "Now, next thing I wanted to ask –"

A knock to the door stopped her mid-sentence and Stephanie called out for the person to open the door.

The definition of rough and rugged stood in the doorway and Ava felt herself lick her lips.

_Oh god, that smirk. Why is he smirking at me like that? _ Ava thought as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Ambrose, what can I do for you?"

He shot her a quick wink before speaking, "I was told Hunter wanted to see me?"

"He does, but he's with the Wyatts and the crew."

The man nodded, saluting his boss and giving the blonde a cheeky, dimpled smirk before turning for the door.

"Wait, Ambrose. Can you do me a favour?"

It wasn't a question, more like a request, but still he humoured her. "Anything for you, Steph." Jon said and the older woman rolled her eyes at him.

"Can you show Ava the way there please, she needs to meet up with them to discuss the promos too." He didn't answer, but simply nodded and extended his arm out to the hallway. "We can discuss the rest another time, Ava. I'll meet you later to try out the wardrobe options." Steph patted her on the knee before the blonde disappeared into the hallway with one member of the Shield.

"Wardrobe, huh? What they got you wearing, bra and panties?"

Reaching out she gave him a backhanded slap across the chest. "No, ass. They're thinking of putting me in an angelic white dress."

Jon snorted as he readjusted his backpack on his shoulder. "Shame."

Ava squinted at the man. "What's that supposed to mean?" She imitated his snort with a crumpled brow.

The Ohio native sniggered. "Nothing." They turned down another hallways, one that was full to the brim of crew members discussing things left to be done. Jon nodded in passing to a few. "Just don't peg you for the angelic type."

Her mouth dropped open, offended. "I am angelic. I'm a sweet person."

"Of course you are, sunshine." He gave her a sickly sweet smile. Groaning, she rolled her eyes at the man beside her. "When they got you debuting?"

"Summer. They want to do Kane vs Bray initially and then build for SummerSlam."

"Cool, any plans for after that?"

"I don't think so just yet."

"Maybe the Shield will get to take a bite outta the Wyatts." He bounced on his feet a bit as he weaved through the crowds.

"I'd like to see you guys try and take them on."

"Oh darlin', don't underestimate me." Another wink and it both infuriated her and made her suck in a deep breath. "I thought you'd be all for that. It'd mean you'd get to experience a little Ambrose magic too."

The blonde snorted, "You can keep that magic to yourself for now, buddy."

"For now?" Jon's eyebrows rose and Ava felt her face heat up. Damn her and her quick tongue for speaking before thinking. That man would hold that over her head like he had with everything else she had said. "I'm still holding you to _next time_." The blonde caught his eyebrows wiggling.

"Shut up, you ass." She groaned, giving him a shove into the wall for good measure. His chuckle rang through the hallway and Ava had to bite back her smile.

"Coming through!"

In one swift and smooth motion, Jon had extended his arm and placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her into his chest. Her hands reached out on instinct and met the solid wall of muscle. Behind her, a crew member ran past at full speed while pushing two crates along.

Jon's hand was glued to her back, heat radiating from it as his fingertips felt along the hem of her t-shirt. Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "You _sure_ you don't want a bit of that Dean Ambrose magic, sunshine?" His tongue poked out from his lips and gave them a swipe. Ava watched the pink tongue, transfixed, as his fingertips found her hot skin underneath her t-shirt.

Snapping out of her daze, she pulled away and slapped his chest. "Don't do that." She turned on her heel and made her way down the last bit of the hallway.

"Why? Did you like it?" His mouth was close to her ear, chuckling mirthlessly.

Another shove into the wall.

"Do you always have such a dirty mind?"

"Nice change of topic and yeah, I do. Welcome to my brain."

"Thanks, but I'll pass on that invite. Who knows what passes through there."

"Pancakes. Wrestling. You in bra and panties."

Another hard slap to his chest and his laughter only grew louder.

"You _wrestling_ in bra and panties is a pretty solid thought right now."

"Stop!" She yelled at him, not being able to control the smile on her lips. "I'm right here, stop thinking about me like that, you dirty fucker."

His laugh only grew louder as he had succeeded in pushing the blonde's buttons and teasing her once again. "Well you could do something about it. Give me a visual—"

Her groan cut him off. "You're like a damn horny teenager." She said.

Swinging an arm around her shoulders, he grinned down at her. "Well look at that, you learnt something else new about me." With Hunter in sight, she pinched his side and pushed him away. Jon's laughed bellowed out through the hallway.

"Ava! Just in time." Hunter greeted her, ushering her over. "Thanks for looking after her, Ambrose. I'll catch up with you later." The COO slapped the Ohioan on the shoulder with a wink.

"It was my pleasure, boss." Jon spoke, his voice like smooth whiskey as he stared at her with a cheeky smirk. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and gave him another shove before following Hunter to the Wyatts.

* * *

"What do you think?"

"I think if I ever wrestle in this, I'll end up flashing millions of people my backside. But I like it."

Ava twirled on the spot, standing before Stephanie where they were stationed in wardrobe. This was the third dress she had tried on and finally she felt comfortable. The white cotton dress was breathable, but fitted across the chest and waist. The fabric flowed over her hips, with intricate lace patterns weaving together. The strips was thin, but not strappy to dig in.

The neckline followed the curve of her collarbone, curving over the top of her cleavage, not revealing too much. It was perfect. Hell, she could try and take a few moves in the ring wearing it, and with a pair of white skin tight shorts on underneath, no one would be seeing her underwear. She wondered if she could steal it for a few hours to give it a test run in the ring.

Ava mentally ran down a few names that were here at SmackDown tonight who would be willing to put her through her paces a bit. _Claudio, Colby, Nikki, Brie, ooh Bryan could put me in the yes lock—_

"We'll arrange another attire before you wrestle, don't worry. But it looks good. It needs to maybe look a bit more aged with the colouring, a bit more used." Sandra, the seamstress on site, nodded, noting down on a pad any comments made. "Everything else is perfect about it. I like it barefoot too."

Ava grinned to herself, her hand grazing the soft fabric. "I can't keep it on?"

Stephanie shot her a warm smile. "Next time you can take it away with you." Giving her shoulder a squeeze, she looked down at her phone and grabbed her notebook. "Get changed and we'll meet down the hall to discuss a few other bits."

Ava didn't even see Stephanie disappear down the hall, she was too busy staring down at the material of the dress. The dress that would transform her into Sister Abigail.

"I'm gonna need that dress back, honey."

Her head snapped up to see Sandra raising an eyebrow at her. Quickly and behind a curtain, the blonde stripped off the dress and pulled back on her ripped blue skinny jeans and plain white t-shirt, tucking it into the waistband of the denim. Appearing again, she handed over the white dress with a sad smile.

"You'll get it back in a couple of hours."

"Thank you."

Skipping away from the seamstress, she made her way down the hallway to meet Stephanie for a further discussion. The woman was nothing but warm and friendly, the opposite of the character she was on screen. If anything, she was a touch intimidating but that was purely down to her status in the company. In one quick moment, Ava could be fired or sent back down to developmental. Luckily for the blonde, it seemed Hunter had developed a soft spot for the newbie and that had seemingly rubbed off on his wife.

Following the scent of freshly baked cookies in catering, Ava had finished her meeting with Stephanie and it put a spring in her step. Details were finalised for the Wyatt family and Abigail's appearance. It was easy to see how invested in this storyline Hunter had become, as Stephanie spoke about how he would be present during the filming of the second batches of promos later. They would expand on ideas further there, and give over further control to Bray for his words.

The Sister Abigail gimmick was finally piecing together, and would finally be appearing in their first promo after lunch. She had planned to meet Bray, Luke and Erick in catering to discuss the promos after her fitting and since the dress wasn't getting taken in, she could afford in to indulge in a backstage-famous cookie... or two.

Rows of food lined catering and the blonde spotted a familiar face immediately. Running up, she gave the brunette a slap on the backside who immediately turned and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You never told me you were here! Oh my god, are you debuting tonight?"

"No, just promos." She replied to the Bella Twin and reached for a cookie. "Debuting in a few weeks possibly."

"You're gonna be on the road with us all the time finally!" A wide grin overtook Nikki's entire face. It impossible not to smile when you were around the vivacious twin. She was a bubble of energy at times.

"Soon, yes."

"We'll plan a night out for your debut. Brie Mode is a must."

"I've missed Brie Mode."

The blonde bottom lip stuck out in a pout and Nikki reached over to squeeze her cheeks together. "Bryan will kill me, but I'll make it happen." Releasing her cheeks, the twin slyly reached for a cookie. "But it's a good reason, it's a special occasion after all. You don't debut on TV everyday." Shrugging, the brunette took a big bite out of the chocolate chunk cookie. A moan fell from her mouth.

"Best cookies ever." Ava agreed, her mouth full with cookie.

"I'll catch you later after my promos, gotta chat with the guys quick."

"Come by the locker room?"

"Will do."

Smiling after the brunette, her eyes scanned catering to find the Wyatt Family in a quiet corner, their heads down and voices murmuring to each other. She was fortunate to be placed with those three men. They already had a bond before she arrived, but they had accepted her nonetheless and pulled her into their group like family.

She had always known Bray from NXT, he was around the same age as she was and had been the older brother she had always wanted. Luke was more like a father figure than anything, given that he had a little girl of his own, it was only natural for him to want to try and protect her. Erick was an enigma, more like the quiet cousin at family gatherings than anything else. He didn't say as much, but Bray had promised her that the big man got quite rowdy after a couple of drinks.

Swallowing the last bite of the soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie, she made her way over to the men to discuss the promos, already making plans to grab another cookie on their way out.

A pair of blue eyes from the corner watched the blonde woman as she plopped down beside the large men, immediately dwarfed by their size.

She was a little firecracker alright and Jon Good was hooked.

**A/N: Ooohhheeee, that was a big one. I just couldn't face cutting it down or taking anything out, mainly because I've been wanting to get a chapter out to you guys for the longest of times... so I'm sorry for the delay, but hope this lengthy one made up for it :) Let me know what you thought of it with a little review and what you think these two have going on in their future... ;) **


	15. Teach Me The Bad Words

_The slow, steady humming filled the arena as the lights went black. A murmur circulated around the crowd as the Titantron slowly came to life, with the screen fading in on an eerie light swinging light. Back and forth it hung from the ceiling as gradually the faces underneath it came into focus: the Wyatts were here._

_Those in attendance fell silent to list to the voices. "My name is Bray Wyatt and I'm here to change the world you live in." The shots on the screen chopped and changed between the Wyatt Family and the darkness of the outside world, and everything that inhabited it. "The world is a very scary place. The ones who are meant to protect you, are the ones that you should fear most. I used to be afraid, but she came to me. She whispered in my ear as she told me that I was special, that I would never truly be alone. She said you'll have the spirit by your side, boy. A spirit that will guide you on this journey. A spirit who represents who you truly are. As you walk alone on this journey, boy, all that you shall leave behind: smoke, desolation, damnation. It's coming."_

_The camera slowly pulled forward. "We're here." Camera moves closer to Bray before he moves out of the way to show Erick Rowen and Luke Harper flagging either side of a petite blonde in the shadows, who had been hidden behind Bray Wyatt the entire time. Her neck twitched, her ear almost touching her shoulder and looking as if it were about to break clean off her neck. _

_Her face was hidden in the darkness, you could just make out the outline of her body and the white dress she wore. Light illuminated around her body, as if she were glowing. But she stood still and motionless. _

_Suddenly the figure spoke, the word coming out as a low growl. "Run." _

_A screech resounded in the arena before the tron went dark. _

* * *

Bouncing on her toes in front of a monitor, Ava's body was visibly humming. The crowd reaction was everything that they had been hoping for, and more. An air of excitement surrounded them, as Hunter beckoned them over to the corner where himself, Stephanie and the boss, Vince McMahon stood speaking in hushed voices.

"Good work, guys." He gave the closest, Luke Harper, a pat on his shoulder with a big grin and shot a wink to the blonde woman. "This is gonna be golden."

"We've got some new ideas for some more promos, but we'll start to have one new one each week on RAW, until the big reveal. I know we already shot the guys by the swamps, but we might need to get a couple of shots of Ava." Stephanie explained. "Paul will go through the ideas with you later on, but other than that, good work." The smile on the billion dollar princess' face spoke volumes.

But it was the man next to them all that they waited on baited breath for. Clapping his hands together suddenly, Ava flinched at the sudden action, "Great stuff!" He said before ushering them away quickly.

"That was a good reaction, right?" Ava whispered to Bray.

"It wasn't a bad reaction."

Nodding, she accepted it and followed the men to the production office, where Hunter was set to go over further promo ideas with them. One by one, he explained the ideas that Vince had for the Wyatt Family, subtle comments for improvement, and goals for them. He also mentioned about setting aside an afternoon to film some more shots down by the swamps with Ava and Bray.

The support the entire faction had was staggering to the blonde, she knew they were supported on NXT, but the main roster was a whole different level. Although, she doubted everyone got one to one time with the busy Triple H. For that, she counted her and themselves lucky.

"We're going for a slow reveal on Sister Abigail. Steph doesn't think you should debut until about a month after the guys do, build up suspense. Maybe even at Summerslam we could have you make your first appearance? How does that sound?"

All eyes turned to the blonde and she shrugged. "If it helps build us up, that's fine by me. Puts the focus on the guys more in the beginning stages too."

Luke nodded beside her, as did Hunter. "Alright, so we'll shoot some more shots next week at RAW and SmackDown. There'll be another promo going out, possibly two, this week at Extreme Rules too, so that'll help." Hunter stood up, followed by everyone else. "I'll keep you guys updated on the storyline and debut time as well. But other than that, enjoy the show and I'll see you at NXT later this week maybe." One by one, he shook each of their hands. "Oh, Regal has already announced it to some of the guys at NXT, but you're all invited to the pay-per view this weekend. It'd be good for you all to experience it backstage." With a quick nod and a few thank you's they split from the COO and Ava was back to bouncing on her toes in excitement.

* * *

"Ich heisse Ava Wilson."

"Ich heisse Ava Wilson."

"Ich bin aus Seattle."

"Ich ben aus—"

"_bin_. Ich bin aus Seattle."

"Ich bin aus Seattle."

A proud smile touched Claudio's lips. "Good. Now all together."

The blonde walking beside him made a face, scrunching up her nose. "Ich heisse Ava Wilson, Ich _bin_ aus Seattle."

"Well done." She slapped his hand, a grin pulling her lips up around her teeth.

"Now teach me some more swear words."

"Most people learn the basics of a language before the bad words."

"Not when you've got your own personal tutor you don't."

"Count yourself lucky, schön. How about the weather?"

"That's not as fun."

"Es ist sonnig."

She made another face. "Sunny? Oh! Oh! It's sunny!" Ava caught his hand before he could ruffle her hair. "Okay. Now teach me the bad words."

Claudio's laugh boomed through the hallway but a voice cut through it, stealing her attention and making her glare. "I can help with that, sunshine."

The blonde's eyes narrowed as she spotted him. Three large bodies made their way down the same hallway, coming towards them all dressed in black. The one that spoke wore the widest grin and had the most devilish eyes. His hair was a mess of slicked back hair and messy strands, and there was an obvious swagger in his walk.

"Sure you can." She snorted before crossing her arms over her chest. Jon's eyes immediately followed the movement and found her chest. A slap on the back of his head pulled his eyes away as he shot Colby a look beside him. When he turned his eyes back to the blonde, he saw the Swiss man beside her glaring at him. "Like you can speak German. You can hardly speak English."

"You could always teach me."

Slowly, a smirk pulled the side of her mouth up and that same devilish look was mirrored in her eyes. "Ich heisse Ava und bist ein esel. There's your first lesson."

Beside her, Claudio sniggered, his hand covering the laugh that was due to erupt. "She's a fast learner."

Jon shot her a look, his brow crumpling. "What did she say?"

"You can find out in your next lesson, arschloch."

"Well, that one's obvious." Joe spoke under his breath, covering his smirk.

"I retain all the best words and forget the rest." Ava shot a wide smile up at her German tutor. "I'm gonna catch up with the girls before they leave. I'll see you tomorrow for practice." Shooting Claudio a look, he nodded back and she turned to leave but was halted by Jon once again.

"I'm hurt, sunshine. You're not up for round two with me?" He wore a cocky smirk and his words had garnered a few wide eyed looks from the other three men.

She caught onto the shock and her eyes went as wide as theirs had. "Not round two in a sexual way!"

Jon only laughed louder, seeing her eyes bugged out. "Yeah, I mean, we'd have to have a round one first." Jon shrugged, one eyebrow raised. "There's always _next time_." His final two words meant nothing to the men but she knew full well what he was hinting at. Her promise that she wished she hadn't made. She wished her mind hadn't spoke before it communicated with her brain. But her body was clearly speaking for her in that moment after he had massaged her aches and pains away.

And now he would keep taunting and teasing her with those same words she had spoken all those months ago. _I wouldn't be totally opposed to a next time_... Once again her body spoke before her brain did, but thankfully she had spoken those words or she would never live it down.

Claudio's face had turned hard as stone, with a frown settled over his brow aimed perfectly at the Ohioan.

The blondes cheeks were blushing red and she wished in that moment the ground would swallow her up. Or maybe swallow Jon up. Yes, that would definitely work better. "_Shut up_, would you?" Giving him a small feeble shove, she walked through the wall the men made up and made her way to the women's locker room for some solace. The blonde man in front of her was not making this situation any easier by throwing out innuendos left right and centre.

"So what did she say?" Jon's eyes had followed her walking away, appreciating the sway in her hips and the tight ripped jeans she wore.

"My name is Ava and you are a jackass." Claudio spoke, his arms crossed. "Which I do agree with." Reaching over, he slapped the back of his head. "Stop checking her out, Good. She is not a piece of meat." His eyes were narrowed, giving his friend a clear warning.

"C'mooon, I'm just teasing her!" A lazy smile pulled his mouth up, his eyes lighting up. "It's harmless."

"It better be." Protective brother mode was in full force as he gave him a serious look, one that wasn't to be argued with. "And stop looking at her chest so obviously."

Jon's mouth dropped open. "You were the one that drew my attention to them! You were the one who asked me if she needed a boob job!" He sucked his lips in, shrugging again. "I'm just making a thorough evaluation." Claudio shot him a look and Jon's eyes sparkled with mischief back. "I may need to book in a physical examination though, just to be sure, and—" Before he could finish, Claudio tackled him into a side headlock, laughing as the man struggled in his strong hold, before giving him a noogie on the head. "Lopez! Help me out here!"

"Nah, you're on your own man."

"Joe!"

The big man roared with laughter, watching on as Jon flailed in Claudio's side headlock. The Swiss man wore a big grin, laughing along, and knew that he had got his point across. It was harmless flirting from both of them and they were both adults, he knew that, but that didn't stop him from getting protective over the blonde.

**A/N: I'm reeeeally trying to get int a good update schedule, but it is really quite hard to squeeze in time to sit down, chill and write. But I'm trying. I love love love that you all love Ava and Jon and their slow burn. I'm also loving writing them bounce off and tease each other. **

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews, they put a big ol' cheesy smile on my face when I see them in my box :) Let me know what you thought of this chapter and I'll try and get the next one out to you ASAP!**


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